Love's Growth
by BenXGwen Lightning Warrior
Summary: Originally a one-shot surrounding "Big Fat Alien Wedding", the story will follow Gwen and Ben's relationship as both become aware of how they feel.
1. The Dance that Changed Everything

Chapter One: The Dance that Changed Everything

It was the weekend of Ben and Gwen's cousin Joel and his fiancée Camille's wedding. Ben hated weddings. They were dull and stupid to him, but he wasn't going to say that being at a wedding was the worst thing that could happen. No. The worst thing that could happen was being in a wedding. That's exactly what his misfortune was. Then, Grandpa Max had to put Ben in some old piece of junk that Ben thought belonged in The Paleolithic Era.

As Max finished fixing the bow tie around Ben's neck, Ben thought, _Are you trying to strangle me, Grandpa?!_ Gwen smiled at Ben's unfortunate predicament but got a little worried when she saw Ben struggling to breathe. _A whole Summer of surviving alien attacks and bad guys with super guns, but Ben gets killed by lack of Oxygen? That's hardly heroic._ She walked up to them and suppressed a laugh at Ben's weird expression. "Better loosen that bow tie, Grandpa. Ben's brain needs all the Oxygen it can get." Ben sighed with relief as Max complied, but Gwen's merciful action surprised him. _I thought she enjoyed torturing me._ Ben's mind said in confusion. Ben thought about Gwen's puzzling behavior until they stopped at the lake house where the wedding was supposed to be.

Once there, Joel and Camille's parents started bickering. "Uncle Max…" Joel began. "…this whole weeding has been a nightmare. The photographer's camera got smashed, all the flowers suddenly died…" Max smiled at his nephew. "It'll work out, Joel. Don't worry." Max said as he put a hand on Joel's shoulder. Gwen was beside herself rapid firing question after question at the bride and groom. Joel chuckled. "I'm sorry, Gwen. Camille's little cousin Lucy was able to make it after all." Ben suddenly had a ray of hope in himself. Joel noticed Ben's hopeful look. Nothing changes for you," Joel said calmly. "…except who you'll dance with at the reception." Ben paled. _I don't know how to dace!_ Ben thought. Joel smiled as he noticed Ben's blanched expression. "You better lean then. You don't want to look like a megadweeb out there in front of everybody." He saw…something move in the bushes behind them and decided to investigate.

Ben slipped away into the bushes, glared into the dark gap in the bushes, and went deeper into the woods in an effort to follow the strange figure. Once he stopped and looked around, he heard a bubbling sound behind him, and just turned around as a muddy appendage slammed into him. As Ben grunted in pain on impact with the tree, he glared at the figure. "You want to play rough?" He growled at the mud monster. The mud monster glared back at him. Ben turned the dial until he came to Cannonbolt and activated the Omnitrix. "Let's see how you like being pounded." Ben growled as he slammed into the monster repeatedly until it stopped moving. Then, he rolled back to the lake house. Once he got there, the place was set ablaze. Ben sighed. _What I wouldn't give to be Heatblast!_ Ben thought to himself angrily until he realized he would be able to put it out with a cannonball into the lake.

The water rained over the wedding set up and put out the blaze as Ben smiled. He was about to get out when a blaster was put in his face. "Boy, the lifeguards around here are really strict." Ben said with a small frown as Joel's grandfather growled. "An Aburian Pelarota?!" Gordon said in annoyance and surprise as Betty-Jean glared at Ben through her glasses. "An alien wedding crasher!" _Anytime, Gwen, would be nice!_ Ben thoughtas Gwen whispered a spell. A cloud of fog covered Ben as he smiled and slipped away from the group as they fired all over the place. Joel growled at Gordon in anger. "What are you doing? This is a weeding, not a shooting range." Joel growled. "Damn it! He got away!" Gordon growled. "Promise me, no more weapons for the rest of the weekend." Joel growled as he took the weapons away and walked away with the weapons in tow.

Ben shivered as Watch timed out a few minutes later. He then went back to the RV to calm down for a little while. He was relaxing when he realized he still had no idea how to dance. He sat up in surprise with huge eyes. He quickly jumped down from his bunk and found a dancing game pad before he set up the stereo. Ben took a deep breath and started to trace the squares with his feet. Ben thought he was dancing pretty well. That is until Gwen walked in. She smirked and watched Ben try to dance. _He's a goof._ Gwen thought as she shook her head with a smile. "You look like your underwear is too tight." Ben's eyes went wide as he took a step forward and tried to look back at Gwen. That unusual motion caused him to fall on his butt. Gwen giggled at that. "I could let you squirm, but I took cotillion for three years." Gwen told him with a sigh. Ben just gave her an odd. Look. "Cotillion…it means…" Gwen just shook her head. "Never mind." Ben backed up nervously one step. Gwen sighed and looked at Ben with an aggravated expression. "You trust me to help you kick alien butt. Why won't you let me teach you how to dance?" Ben sighed and shook his head. "You're going to 'teach' me to be a complete dancing idiot!" Gwen giggled. "You don't need my help to do that. Now swallow your pride and give me your hands."

Ben rolled his eyes. "This is so gross!" He groaned. "Like don't know that." Gwen said with a small smile. "Just relax and count. One…two…one…two…forward…back…forward…back." She said with a smile as they started to slowly move around the floor of the RV in rhythm with the music. Ben decided to try his hand at his new skill and lifted Gwen's hand above her head and led her in a spin. She smiled at him pleasantly surprised at how easily Ben picked it up. As Gwen stopped, Ben put her in a dip. She smiled up at him and felt her cheeks begin to burn in embarrassment as their eyes connected. She didn't want to look away but forced herself to. Ben smiled. He was satisfied with himself. Ben was surprised to find it easy to dance with Gwen. In fact, he would have preferred to dance with Gwen instead of this stranger but would never admit it because he wouldn't want the jokes and poking that would come with it. He was not having feelings for Gwen. He just would have preferred her.

As Max walked in the RV a few hours later, he found Ben studying a book on dancing. Gwen was softly smiling at him. Max sighed with a smile and shook his head at Ben's efforts to learn how to dance. He noted that Gwen and Ben both seemed happy which seemed at little off. "What happened while I was gone?" Max whispered to himself with a smile. He shook the thought away and walked outside to relax before he went outside to relax before he went to bed. He smiled and looked up at the starry sky with a smile. "Good night, Sweetheart." Max said with a sad smile before he went back in the RV for the night.

The next morning was hectic. The bride and groom were busy rehearsing, but not all that were to be present were present. Ben cut his eyes from side to side and slipped away. Ben found the caterer putting the final touches on the wedding cake. Ben snuck into the kitchen and watched the man's body language. The chef seemed tense and angry. Why? Ben had no clue. That is until the caterer knocked over the cake and glared at Camille. "I'm not going to let you marry some filthy human!" The man growled as he shed his human guise. The male glared at Camille. "It's my ex-boyfriend!" Camille said in shock as Ben snuck away and activated the Omnitrix. He became Diamondhead and cut way the ex-boyfriend's hand angrily. "Another wedding crasher…why did we even bother with invitations?!" Mrs. Mann growled as Ben glared at the boyfriend who jumped him as Gwen went into battle mode. Gordon and Betty-Jean glared at the Sludgepuppies. Without our gear, we're sitting ducks!" Max just smiled and handed them blasters. "You promised to leave the gear at home. I didn't." He said with a smirk. Then, they went to work.

Ben battled the ex-boyfriend for a while. Once Ben threw the mud monster in water, he quickly dissolved into the water of the hot tub. Ben groaned. "Eww…gross." Ben groaned as he climbed out of the pool. Max grinned. "It was a dirty job. Someone had to do it." Ben looked around in worry as the Omnitrix timed out. "Gwen!' Ben yelled as he ran out onto the lawn to find Gwen fighting Mr. and Mrs. Mann with support from Camille, Joel, Betty-Jean, and Gordon. The two Sludges glared at Ben as he smiled. "Time to fight fire with fire!" Ben growled as he activated the watch and became a human-like Sludge. He then grinned and started attacking with a forceful power punch that knocked them back as they tried to swallow Gwen. "To touch her, you have to go though me!" Ben growled as he pounded the Manns until they turned into puddles of purple goo.

After the fight, the wedding went on without a hitch, but while Lucy danced with Ben, she made him slip and fall. There was the flash of a camera behind him. Ben smiled. He knew it was rude, but he walked over to Gwen and held out a kind hand. "May I have this dance?" Gwen smiled and took his hand. "Why thank you, sir." She said with a grin as they walked onto the dance floor. As they danced, the world shank to just the two of them, and neither could have been happier. They didn't know what was happening exactly, but they felt something start to grow as they danced.

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	2. The Sparks Flare

Chapter Two: The Sparks Flare

After the wedding, Ben and Gwen were in a mild form of shock as they entered the Rustbucket. Gwen was in shock at how well Ben danced, and Ben was in shock over what seemed to happen to him on the dance floor. _Why did I choose to leave Lucy and dance with Gwen?_ Ben thought to himself as he tried to answer that question. The immediate answer that came to Ben's mind was the most obvious one. He left Lucy to dance with Gwen because he didn't feed comfortable trying to dance with a pile of sentient purple goo that reminded him of Plasmus from "The Teen Titans". The thought that the blonde girl he saw was really a deadly Mud Alien still made him shiver even now as he sat in the booth across from Gwen in silent contemplation. Something inside Ben told him it was more than the gag factor that made him duck out in dancing with Lucy. If it wasn't anything more, he could have stood by the wall and just watched the reception from a safe distance. _Why did I dance with Gwen?_

At the present moment, he wasn't the only one struggling with similar questions. Gwen sat on the couch and tried to get into her spell book but couldn't. She kept going back to when she and Ben's eyes connected in the Rustbucket while she was teaching him. She saw trust in his eyes. She was puzzled by this and a little confused. Gwen put down her book and began to rub her chin in thought. _Why was I drawn into his eyes?_ She thought. Her first thought was…love. No! That was impossible! She got up and began to pace quickly as her mind began to war with itself. She almost felt like the different parts of her mind were putting each other on trial. One "lawyer" stood for Logic and the other stood for a part of her that she had neglected and was now pleading its case to be heard. A small smile crept across her face as memories started to play as if they were evidence in that case of Heart v. Mind. The many times Ben had saved her life over the summer was the majority of the evidence for Heart. One in particular that stood out was when Ghostfreak took over her body. She was utterly terrified. The monster was going to force her to commit suicide if Ben didn't let the alien possess him. Ben gave in, but as soon as Ghostfreak came out of her, Gwen remembered coming to herself with a scream. She didn't exactly know why she screamed. Logic testified that she had just been possessed, so of course she would scream in terror. Heart countered with another suggestion: Gwen screamed out of fear for Ben. Logic fought back with the most painful option. It was illegal to love him. Her heart was silenced at that.

Ben went to his bunk and decided to sleep on the question. Ben drifted off to sleep and found himself in a desert. There were houses carved into the cliff face. Ben sighed as he glared at the houses. "Where am I?" Ben asked as he started to climb the cliff in hopes of finding someone…anyone would find him. When Ben was almost at the top of the mesa, he found Gwen. "What are you doing here?" He asked with a glare. "I'm worried about you. Are you ok, Ben?" Ben did a double take. "Why are you worried about me?" Gwen smiled. "Ben, wake up please." Ben stirred and sat up. "Wake up, Ben. We're here." Gwen said with a smile.

Ben yawned. "Where are we?" Ben asked as he stretched. "We're in New Mexico visiting a friend of Grandpa Max." She said with a smile as they walked into the streets of the reservation. "I know Mr. Green is Grandpa's old busy, but why do we have to be dragged along?" Ben asked with a sigh. "We're not adults, Doofus." Gwen said with a smile. "Why don't you try enjoying the culture and instead of being so ignorant?" Gwen asked. Ben sighed and began to look at the place.

Ben's attention was diverted as he saw a girl doing what he assumed was a ceremonial dance. "That's my granddaughter, Kia." Mr. Green said with a smile as he watched her. "Is she doing a rain dance?" Gwen piped up with a hint of venom. It started to rain and quickly turned into a storm. "I hate to say you're lying but…" Ben was cut off as a massive bolt touched down. "Move!" Ben yelled as he pushed Gwen away from the bolt. She looked at him, shocked. As she tried to figure out what just happened, her mind screamed foul as Gwen tried to figure out how Ben was able to move quickly enough to push her and Ben out of the path of the lightning in time before it hit them without going Hero.

Gwen was ripped from these confusing thoughts as her eyes traveled to a figure behind Ben. It rose to at least six foot tall and glared at Ben with piercing purple eyes. Something about those eyes had a strange, calming effect on Ben. This, he did not expect at all. The only one who even came close to creating such a calm feeling in him was his Dad. The boy stared at the Wolf in a trance-like state. "Ben!" Max said franticly as he reached out toward Ben with a worried look. Gwen thought she heard the Wolf say, "Come on, my pup," but chalked it up to just her imagination. Ben smiled at the Wolf as she extended a clawed hand toward Ben. He was about to take it when something made him look back at Gwen and Grandpa Max.

Ben and Gwen's eyes connected. Ben shivered as a strange energy jolted through him. "What just happened?" Ben mumbled in confusion as he looked up at who he saw now was a she-wolf. His eyes widened in shock as he heard the *crack!* of a gunshot and jumped down to all fours as a foreign instinct took control. His glare settled on smoking barrels in the hands of Wes Green. "Get away, Ben!" Mr. Green commanded. "You should know not to judge by appearance, Plumber Green." Ben countered as Gwen flashed Ben a pleasantly surprised by Ben's deductive skills. "Why not talk instead of shoot?" Ben offered. Wes laid his gun down and began to walk up to them when Ben began to change. His body grew to a similar height as the Wolf, grew muscle mass and his bone structure changed as he screamed in pain. The Wolf whimpered as she watched her pup go through his first change. Gwen walked up in tears and put her hand on his furry cheek and looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "Ben…"

The tender moment was interrupted as Kia ran up with a huge grin on her face. "This is awesome! I have my own werewolf!" Wes glared at Kia in anger at his granddaughter taking advantage of Ben's misfortune. He was about to step in and do something when Max put a firm hand on Wes' shoulder. Wes shivered as he saw the Wolf's eyes. They were full of motherly rage aimed at Kia. Before the irate mother tore Kia limb from limb, Gwen marched up to Kia with anger of her own in her eye. The she-wolf, called Lucy among her people, fought a smile as she recognized the look of young love mingled with righteous anger in the girl's eyes. Gwen's glare aimed at Kia bordered on animalistic as she walked up to the misguided, perhaps mildly psychotic, girl. "He's a person, not a pet!" Gwen sent Kia to the dirt with a mean right hook and continued to glare at the now terrified girl without an ounce of pity.

Ben just stared at Gwen in shock at what she'd done to Kia to defend him. "Why did you do that, Gwen?" Ben asked with a surprised look. Gwen sighed. "I don't know exactly why, Ben. All I know is I couldn't stand there and watch her make you her personal toy." Gwen said with a small smile. That wasn't the whole truth. As soon as Ben started going goo goo eyes over Kia, Gwen felt a mild anger toward Kia. She couldn't explain the source of the anger accurately. All she knew was that the anger stemmed from Ben being a Doofus and going after someone who wasn't right for him. As that thought crossed her mind, Gwen took on a momentary stupefied expression in response to these thoughts but quickly wiped the stunned expression from her lips when she saw Ben sitting over by the Wolf with his ears pinned back in sadness. "I'm a freak!" Ben growled in anguish as he looked up to see Gwen walk over to them and sit down next to him without so much as a word.

"Here to try and 'tame' the Beast, too?" Ben asked as he tried to look at her with anger but couldn't find it. Instead, the mountains of sadness in him were etched into his wolfish features. Gwen couldn't help smiling as she thought of "Beauty and the Beast". Ben could be compared to Beast. Kia was like Gaston in that both were superficial and self-serving. Gwen's smile faultered as she thought more about the plot of the movie. _That would make me Belle, who falls in love with…_ She froze and paled as the thought went through here mind. Gwen was brought back to reality as Ben howled in pain. Gwen gave Ben a comforting smile and unconsciously put a hand on his. "That's the thing about a crush. Sometimes you get crushed." Lucy smiled at Gwen as the girl looked at her feet sadly. Lucy gave her pup a light nudge. Ben took the hint and put an arm around Gwen gently in an attempt to comfort her in her sadness though he had no idea why she was sad.


	3. Ignition

Chapter Three: Ignition

As Ben was getting in the RV, he was perplexed by something Gwen told him as she forced a smile. "There are just two special words you need to know…" That puzzle was driving him nuts as they started on the road again. Ben sighed in exasperation as he looked at Gwen. "Please, tell me what you mean." Ben said as he looked at Gwen hopefully. Gwen just smiled and shook her head from behind her computer screen. _Ben. You're smart enough to figure this out._ She thought to herself as she continued to research to pass the time. Ben sighed. "Come on, Gwen. Tell me what you meant." For some reason, he thought of Kia. "She liked me only because she thought I was a werewolf…" He mumbled. Gwen's eyes gleamed. "…be myself. If she doesn't like it, the girl's not for me." He said as he walked over to the couch and began to mull over the impact of those two words.

Behind Gwen's calm façade, she began to freak out. _Why did I have to say "There's a lot of other girls out there. Some are closer than you think."?_ Gwen was busy researching alright. She was looking into the claim made by her mind that stopped her heart in its tracks. "Just how illegal is cousin marriage?" She mumbled to herself as she searched the web. She quickly gained control of herself with a quick shake of her head. _What are you doing?!_ She thought. _You don't even know how Ben feels, and you're looking up state marital laws?_ She shut the computer down and decided to distract herself by starting a fight with Ben. She punched him and sighed when he hesitated and just turned away from her. This surprised Gwen. "I don't hit girls." Ben said as he looked away from her. _…especially pretty ones._ Ben thought before he could stop himself. Ben blinked at the thought. Did he just think Gwen was cute?!

This was getting more and more awkward by the second. Ben was looking for a way out when he found one in the form of a small biker gang. They pulled up, and the apparent leader growled, "Put all your cash and valuables on the ground. Now!" Ben smirked and activated to Omnitrix. He went Four Arms and came out swinging. The small gang just stared at the red Tetramand as he pinned them against the wall. He heard girls yelp in pain and tore off their helmets. "Why are you doing this?" Ben asked. The girl with red hair just smirked as two drones threw him into a pillar of cement. Rojo growled, "This is my heist!" He underlings just sprinted away. Ben decided to focus on the drones and smashed them to bits. Knowing she wasn't going to get away, Rojo sawed off the overhang of the gas station as it plummeted on top of Grandpa Max. Gwen was about to dial 911 when Ben picked them both up and started leaping to the nearest hospital.

Meanwhile, Rojo went back to the scene to see what she could salvage. She smiled to herself as she tore the head off a drone and took a closer look. The drone must have had a reserve power system because one of the wires stuck itself to her neck. She yelled out in pain as the machine changed her and merged with her completely. The first thought that came to mind after the transformation was _Great! A robot hicky!_ Then, she heard the cops coming and blasted the cars to pieces. "This is-" The butch froze and hit her needs as a rough voice growled in her mind. "You will serve me and find the Omnitrix, human." She glared at the voice in her head as another jolt of pain. "You WILL find the Omnitrix, human!" The voice growled. "You don't have a choice in the matter."

Back at the hospital, Ben and Gwen were waiting on word from the doctor. Ben was a nervous wreck. _Grandpa got hurt because of me._ Ben thought sadly as the doctor walked up. "You're grandfather suffered a broken leg and a concussion, but he's remarkably heathy and strong. He should be back on his feet after a little rest." Gwen looked at Grandpa Max and looked back at Ben as he fiddled with the Watch. "Maybe I could go Upgrade and get inside the machines to heal him." Gwen smiled, walked over to Ben, and put a hand on his shoulder. "You heard the doctor. Grandpa will be fine." She said comfortingly. "Gwen…" Ben said slowly. "I have to do this alone." She glared at him. "We're in this together, Doofus." She said with a light glare. He pushed her away and ran off. "Ben!" She yelled as she chased after him. By the time she got to the hospital lobby, he was gone.

Ben ran and ran. Once he was away from the town, he activated the Omnitrix. Rojo heard it and smiled. "I've got you now!" She said as she sprinted off toward the signal. Strangely, Ben became Upgrade. He didn't realize why until he saw Rojo. His lone eye furrowed in anger as he tackled her. Upgrade struggled for control and managed to shut down Rojo's motor control. When the system rebooted, Ben was startled to see a green alien with a squid face stared back at him. "Listen and listen well, you filthy piece of slime! You have something of mine and I will take it back by any means necessary." The alien growled. Rojo glared at him. "I told you!" She roared. "I don't take orders from no one!" With that said, Rojo threw Upgrade off her and destroyed the drone's internal radio control landed on the ground with a groan as his body turned into a puddle of circuitry. _I need help._ Ben groaned at the thought but knew it was the wisest choice. Unfortunately, he passed out and reverted to human right after that thought crossed his mind.

Gwen couldn't explain it, but she was able to track Ben to an open area. Once there, she saw a robot…thing baring down on Ben's unconscious form. She ran at it and roundhouse kicked it in the face. While it was stunned for a moment, Gwen pulled Ben to safety. As he began to stir, Gwen brought out her laptop and started it up. Once she got it up, she ran a special program through the Command Prompt named " ". Gwen smiled to herself. After Ben took over her computer as Upgrade a while back, Gwen found a foreign line of code on her computer which she was able to alter into an alien tech hacker. She assumed the code came from Upgrade, hence the name of the program.

Ben woke up to Gwen calmly typing on her computer as the monster came near them. "Gwen?!" He yelled in shock and anger. "What are you doing here?! I can't let you-"Gwen just glared at Ben. "Yell at me all you want after we survive this!" She said with a glare which stopped Ben in his tracks. _Is that care in her eyes?_ He thought, puzzled by what he saw. "Hold her off long enough for me to hack in, Ben." Gwen said calmly. Ben nodded and went Wildmutt. He then tackled Rojo and started to rip the armor of the drone off her. Rojo glared at Wildmutt and punched him away from her. "Get off me, you flea bitten mutt!" She growled as she sent Ben sailing. Wildmutt landed on all fours and charged Rojo again. _I've gotta keep her distracted so Gwen can…_ That was when Rojo screamed and sank to her knees. _You go, Gwen!_ Ben thought as he tackled Rojo again and used his weight to pin Rojo down in her malfunctioning state.

Gwen's hands flew across her keyboard as the drone continued to try and kick her out of its systems. She had managed to our maneuver the anti-Trojan programs on the drone but was beginning to tire from trying her best to outpace the super computer she was up against. "Ben! Go Upgrade!" Gwen pleaded. Ben heard the fatigue in her voice and knew he had to comply, or they would be goners once Gwen quit fighting. There was one problem. He didn't know how to go directly from one form to another. Ben then looked at the Omnitrix brace on his shoulder, lifted his right front paw, thought _Here goes nothing!_ , and slammed down the hourglass. He was surprised and happy when he felt his body start to cover Rojo. While Ben was taking over the cyborg's systems from the outside, Gwen was busy disabling the weakened defense systems inside. Ben smiled when he found Gwen's Trojan and used it to send her a thank you as the drone's components fell off Rojo's body. Rojo smiled to herself. "I'm just an innocent girl." She said as she tried to play the "You Wouldn't Hit a Girl" Card. Ben just sighed. That was when Gwen came up an punched Rojo in the face. "That's for hurting Ben!" The girl growled. She then turned her anger on Ben. "I guess you can't do everything by yourself. Can you, Ben?" Before she knew what she was doing, her lips fell on his in a scared kiss. When she saw what she had done, she blushed furiously. Ben cleared his throat nervously. "Yeah…lets go find Grandpa." Ben suggested as he turned away to hide a blush.

Once they got back to the hospital, they found Max waking up. "You ready to go, Grandpa?" Ben asked as Gwen elbowed him. Max sighed and nodded as he started walking toward the RV, Ben and Gwen's grandfather noticed they were quieter than than usual. _What happened while I was out?_ Max thought to himself as he started the Rustbucket and noted that Ben and Gwen were sitting as far away from each other as they could, and both continued to be silent. The old man tapped his chin in thought as a small unseen smile spread across his face.

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	4. Burning Steady under the Brush

Chapter Four: Burning Steady under the Brush

Gwen's computer was off. There wasn't a book in her hand. Her mind was too busy to allow itself the luxury of relaxing. As Gwen looked out the window at the scenery rolling by, questions she was afraid to answer would not leave her alone. _Why did I kiss him?!_ She asked herself. That one seemed to have an answer. No matter how grown up Gwen acted, she was still a kid with curiosity. If she died in that fight with the cyborg, she wanted to know what it felt like to kiss someone. She smiled, satisfied with that answer until a choked voice in her mind asked, _If that's true that it was just curiosity, why did you like it?_ Gwen tried hard to find a reason for her feelings but couldn't.

Ben, on the other hand, was in a state of utter confusion and couldn't keep his mind focused on anything. It was as if Kia were here. He felt the same now as he tried to play video games in an effort to chase the foreign feeling away. It didn't work. If anything, the feeling in Ben's gut just got stronger. He sighed. _Maybe beating Gwen at the game will help._ Ben thought as he got up and offered Gwen the second player controller with a smile. "Ben, what are you planning?" Gwen asked as she looked at the controller suspiciously with a raised eyebrow and a light glare aimed at Ben because she knew he was playing a trick on her. Ben didn't know why, but it hurt him that Gwen didn't trust him. "I was just going to ask if you wanted to play, Dweeb." It was most likely unintentional on Ben's part, but Gwen noticed a hurt tone in the way Ben said "Dweeb". The word had no venom or malice in it, jut hurt.

Thinking of Kia brought the Yeneldooshi fresh to Ben's mind. Something in particular bothered him. He never thought of Carl and Sandra as his parents. He knew it was strange. Hell, it was downright disrespectful, but something always tugged at the boy's mind just before he would go to bed. He felt different. If he was asked without fear of being judged, he would even go so far as to say he wasn't human. Now, having met an alien werewolf who claimed to be his mother just made him all the more confused and made Ben feel…alienated. Ben chuckled softly at the pun, but the moment of mirth was short-lived. He began to pace as these thoughts went through his mind.

Gwen noticed Ben's pacing while he wrung his hands, clearly nervous maybe a little frightened. Gwen could read Ben well, and she didn't like what she was reading in his body language at the moment. It wasn't as if she was staring through the window of a padded room in an asylum, but she knew Ben was close to a nervous breakdown. She smiled at Ben and walked up to him as a strange and surprisingly strong urge to comfort him took control. "What's wrong, Doofus?" She asked as she put a hand on his shoulder. The sudden touch surprised Ben and made him freeze. He turned to Gwen and slowly came out of the fog of thought he was in. "Huh…what?" He asked as he looked at Gwen confused. "You've been unable to sit still since that cybernetic biker." She told him with a worried frown. Ben sat down on the couch opposite the booth and patted the empty area next to him. "If you want to listen, I'll be glad to talk." Ben told her with a nervous smile as she sat down next to him. "Ok. Talk." She said with a worried look mixed with a slight amount of fear.

Ben gulped down air in an attempt to calm himself enough to speak coherently. "I think I'm adopted." He said slowly. Gwen giggled. "You know I'm just joking when I sat we're not related." Gwen's try at a joke to lighten the mood fell flat when Ben gave her a glare. "I'm being serious, Gwen!" Ben snapped as he fought not to burst into tears. Gwen patted his back comfortingly. "Why do you think that?" Gwen asked softly. "The wolf said I was her kid, and I believe her after my transformation on the Navaho Reservation." Gwen's eyes widened as she thought, _So I wasn't hearing things?_ Ben continued. "There's more to it. I never felt like Sandra and Carl were my parents. I respected them as if they were, but at night I would question myself because I didn't feel a bond with them." Gwen nodded and smiled when Ben looked up to make sure she was still listening. To his surprise and relief, Gwen was still very much attentive. "I could feel something pulling me to the She-wolf when I saw her. As she stuck out her hand, I wanted to grab it and never let go like a scared toddler." He said as he turned away from her, embarrassed.

Gwen smiled at him and put her hand on Ben's comfortingly. "I don't care where you came from, Ben." She said with a smile as Grandpa Max sighed and smiled at them through the rearview mirror. Ben looked up at his grandfather's eyes and saw a hint of knowing in the old man's eyes. Ben glared at the man in anger. "You knew, Grandpa?!" Ben said as he blinked away tears in his eyes. Max looked at Ben's hurt and pain in the boy's eyes, and it ripped him up his heart to see his grandson in so much pain. "I was in New Mexico about ten years ago. I was investigating reports of alien activity in the area and found you as a baby in a cave, alone and crying." Ben marched up from the back of the RV to the driver's seat angrily. "You took me from my Mother and gave me to one of your sons as a trophy?!" Ben growled. "Stop, now!" Ben commandeered as he wiped the tears from his eyes and stormed off the RV angrily. Gwen got up and chased after Ben with a pained look in her eyes. "Ben, Wait!" She yelled. Max put his hand in her path, but she pushed past him, with an angry glare. "Don't try to stop me after what you did, Grandpa!" She growled as she left the RV and chased after Ben, her face covered in fear in worry.

Ben ran and didn't look back at the man who had the gall to take him from his mom and encourage him to call Max "Grandpa". He stopped to catch his breath and sniffed a familiar scent in the air. "Mom?" Ben asked as he looked around and saw the She-wolf in the shadows. He smiled with teary eyes and ran to her. "Mom, why did Max take me from you?" Lucy looked at her pup with a sad look. "I asked him to…" She said with a sigh as she looked away from him. "I didn't want you to starve." This made Ben look at her in shock. "What?" He asked in shock. Gwen smiled softly at him from behind and shook her head at him. "Max didn't steal you, Ben." Lucy said with a small smile as she saw Gwen behind her pup. Gwen smiled and put a hand on Ben's shoulder. "He saved you, Doofus." Ben turned and jumped back at Gwen's voice and touch. He glared at her. "Why are you here?" Ben asked with a sigh. Gwen blushed and looked away. Ben wasn't sure, but he thought he could hear her heart start to beat erratically as she looked away from him. "Gwen, are you ok?" He asked as he gently made her look at him. Ben tried not to smile as her heart slowed to match his. Of course, she was unaware of this.

Gwen looked at him and again let herself be taken captive by his eyes. They were her own but had a hard look to them only she could recognize. Lucy smiled as she retreated away from them to give them their space. Neither Ben nor Gwen seemed to notice or care as they were transfixed by each other. Gwen smiled with a dazed expression at Ben as she closed the distance between Ben's lips and hers. When their lips met, Ben's body shivered with an electric charge. Ben's eyes went wide, and he pulled away quickly from the kiss in shock because of the kiss and the desire he had to keep his lips on hers. _What the hell is wrong with me?!_ Ben thought, angry with himself. _She's…not my cousin!_ Ben wanted to kiss her again in happiness but fought the eagerness to kiss her back by telling himself she was human, and he was an alien humanoid wolf-like alien. Ben shook the troubling thoughts from his mind as he heard growling behind him.

The hairs on the back of Ben's neck rose as he smelled someone that smelled like his mother but was male. "Uncle?" Ben growled but he didn't look back to confirm what his nose was telling him until Gwen screamed in fear. "Get behind me." Ben said calmly as he turned on a dime and glared at his uncle angrily. "What do you want?" Ben growled. Lucy glared at her brother. "Let your nephew make his own choice for a mate." Ben's ears pinned back in anger at his uncle. "She's not my girlfriend. She's my annoying friend." Ben said with a growl. "Yeah. Right." Ben's uncle said with a dark smirk. "I will not have any of my family mated with a filthy human!" Ben glared at his uncle and let out a growl as he went to all fours as Gwen trembled begin him. "I'm curious," Ben's uncle told him. "What do you see in that human?" Ben smirked. "She's smart, fearless when she needs to be, and level-headed." Ben said. _…not to mention pretty._ Ben added in his mind as he smiled at the bizarre thought. _Why does that thought keep coming back?_ Ben questioned himself as his uncle ran at him. Ben jumped over him and kicked the grown alien werewolf in the face so hard the impact drew blood on the male's right cheek. Ben was surprised by how agile his uncle was. The Loboan glared at Ben. "I'll kill you and eat her alive!" Ben's uncle growled.

Something snapped in Ben. He went feral and started lashing out at the Loboan male with anger and fury that made his motions too fast to be seen. The older, more experienced Wolf lunged at Ben. Ben grabbed the male by his forepaw in his jaws and threw the Wolf into a tree. Ben's eyes burned with anger as he marched up to the tree and picked his uncle up by the neck and tried to glare into the wolf's soul. Gwen sprinted up to them and gripped one of Ben's arms tight. "Don't do it, Doofus!" Tears sparkled in her eyes. "Let him go, Ben." With a growl that quickly faded as Ben came to himself, Ben looked into Gwen's terrified eyes and dropped his uncle quickly. Ben stared at Gwen, who was looking at Lucy for answers. "My pup loves you, Gwen. That's why he protected you." Gwen's scared expression turned to understanding. Them, Gwen put her hand on Ben's cheek and kissed him with no hesitation and passion she didn't know was there

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	5. Water on the Fire

Chapter Five: Water on the Fire

As Gwen broke the kiss, Ben looked at her in shock. "What was that?" Ben asked, confused. Gwen just shook her head. "What?" He asked as his world spun. Ben passed out and fell to the ground as his legs buckled. Gwen stared at Ben in horror. "What did I do?" Gwen asked as she looked at Lucy, scared. Lucy smiled and walked up to Gwen with a comforting smile. "He's going to be fine. You just gave him quite a shock." She said calmly. Gwen smiled as she was told Ben would be ok, but the smile faded as she looked around. "Where is your brother?" Gwen asked, a little worried after what Ben's uncle tried to do to her and Ben. Lucy smiled. "He's keeping to Loboan customs. If a Wolf is beaten in a duel for a mate, he is to leave in disgrace and never cross paths with his opponent again," she said calmly. "You better start back toward the RV. Max is probably worried about the two of you by now." Gwen nodded as Ben started to rouse. "What happened? I had the weirdest dream." Ben said as he slowly stood and looked at Gwen. "You can tell me all about it as we walk back to the RV." Gwen told him with a smile.

As they were walking away, Lucian, Ben's uncle ran back to a cave north of the Navaho Reservation. As Lucian ran to his post, the first thought on his mind was the protection of his sister and nephew. As misguided as Ben was in choosing a human for a mate, the last thing he wanted was for Zs'Skayr to hurt his family. The Loboan smiled wearily as he looked at the signal relay device and started moving it into position. "Master, Relay Station One is in place." A gruff voice came through a radio, and a dark grin could almost be felt on the other end of the transmission. "Very good," The male voice said with a pleased tone. "The Master may have mercy on you and spare your family on the new Ectonurite Homeworld." The voice told him as he howled. _What have I done?_ Lucian thought sadly to himself.

Meanwhile, Ben and Gwen were talking about Ben's "dream" as they walked back to the RV. "I was fighting my uncle because he wanted to eat you and kill me. I wouldn't let him because…you are my cousin, and I couldn't come back from Summer Vacation without you. Uncle Frank and Aunt Lilly would freak out, so I protected you. I ended up chasing my alien uncle away, and as a thank you, you kissed me." Ben blushed hard at that last part but was a little unnerved by Gwen's unconscious smile. "It was a dream. Wasn't it?" Ben asked hesitantly, scared of the answer. Gwen smiled and took his face in her hands gently. "You tell me." She said as she kissed him tenderly. Ben pushed her away at the sudden, bizarre, but surprisingly comfortable sensation of Gwen's lips on his. "This is wrong, Gwen, and you know it." Ben said to her calmly. "Did you hit your head or something?" Gwen asked with hurt and worry showing in her eyes as the glaze of pleasure from the kiss evaporated with Ben's words.

As Ben and Gwen entered the RV, Ben began to get a headache and went to lie down in his bunk. Gwen's gaze followed Ben to his bunk, but she did not follow. Instead, she went to Max. The old man gave her a kind smile as he started the engine. After a few moments of silence and worried glances at his silent granddaughter's sad posture of knees to her chest with her head resting on her knees looking out at the highway with a blank expression, Max decided enough was enough. "Tell me what's wrong, Gwen." He said with a kind but firm tone. She took a deep breath and sighed. "I think Ben has amnesia." She said quietly as she broke her gaze from the rood and looked at her grandfather before she continued. "He saved me from his deranged uncle. Then, I kissed him to thank him, and his mind wiped the entire episode because of shock." She said sadly. She then looked at the old man, and he could tell what she wanted to ask before she could open her mouth. "I don't know if the memory can be fixed." Max said to his granddaughter calmly. Gwen's saddened mind cleared enough as Max spoke to her to realize there was probably a spell to fix this in her spell book commandeered from Charmcaster.

Gwen sat on the couch and calmly looked through the spell book. She saw one spell that just might do what she needed. She smiled and recited the spell, "Psychosa Restorum." She said to herself calmly. Gwen found herself going to sleep. Her final thought before sleep overcame her was _This isn't a sleep spell!_ She woke up in a disorganized and messy space. "Where am I?" Gwen mumbled to herself as she looked around. She then saw Ben, but this boy wasn't exactly Ben. He wore a yellow version of Ben's white shirt and was trying to hide. Gwen smiled and reached for him. "It's ok." The action got a surprising reaction from Fear Ben. He looked at it and ran from her while screaming. "A collection of Ben's fears…" Gwen mumbled as she yelled at herself for not researching Psychology more. She sighed and saw another Ben looking into a box. Gwen walked over and saw the box was filled with costumes. There was a tux, Wolfman, and a lab coat. "Which do I choose?" This Ben asked as he starred at the costumes in confusion. Gwen smiled. "They are all parts of you, Ben." This Ben, which seemed to be his core personality, jumped back at hearing Gwen's voice. "What are you doing here?" He asked as he looked at her. "I'm trying to fix you. I want you to be you again." Gwen said as she looked at him, scared. He smiled at her. "Help me choose." He said with a kind smile. "Why do you have to choose?" Gwen asked with a smile as she put her hand on his. "Be all of that." She said with a kind smile as the spell started to fade.

Gwen woke up to Grandpa Max's voice. "Wake up, Sweetheart," he said with a smile. "We're almost at Cape Canaveral." He said as he walked over to Ben. The boy rubbed his eyes, stretched, and looked at Max. "We're almost there, kiddo. How'd you sleep?" Ben nodded. "I needed the nap." He said with a smile. "Well, like I said Ben, we're almost to the NASA Launch Center." Max said with a happy sigh as he remembered his trip here every day for close to three years. As the trio walked into the lobby, they were met by a gray-haired man with sunken features. The man smiled when he saw Max and exchanged a handshake with the man as Gwen noticed a placard with a list of names on it. "Grandpa, why is your name on the Apollo Mission roster?" Ben suddenly blinked as the realization came to him. "Grandpa was to go up in space with Armstrong and Aldrin!" Ben said to Gwen wide-eyed as Gwen looked at Ben like he'd gone crazy. Then, a small smile crossed Gwen's lips. _Maybe Ben took my advice._ She thought to herself as Ben smiled and winked at Gwen playfully. None of the adults in the room seemed to notice, much to Gwen's relief. "I still don't know why you left the program, Max." Max smiled at the man's questioning tone and let out a light chuckle. "Better opportunities came knocking." Max said calmly as Ben and Gwen slipped away.

Once they were out of earshot, Ben smiled at Gwen. "You're a good kisser," He said. Then, Ben blushed slightly. "Thanks for the hard reboot." Gwen smiled back at him. "I'm glad you are back…" She hesitated before calling him "Doofus" because she now knew his ignorance was just a front. Ben noticed and frowned. He hated to admit it, but he had gotten used to, maybe even dare to use the word "enjoyed" her teasing which had become more playful than biting in light of recent events. "Go ahead, Dweeb." Ben said playfully with a smile. That's when thunder rocked the building. Ben looked outside and saw clouds come out of nowhere. Then, purple lightning touched down outside. "Time to get Grandpa!" Gwen yelled as she shook at the sudden strike. Ben nodded and started off back towards Max.

As they were running, a big guy in a lab coat bumped into them. The guy didn't smell human. The fact that Ben could tell surprised the boy. What happened when the tall man roughly pushed Gwen into the wall wasn't really a shock though. Ben's Loboan form was out in a nanosecond and on top of the scientist the next. "This is interesting. A Loboan Half-breed defending his mate." Ben just glared at the monster until he yelped as a massive jolt was sent coursing though the boy's body by the Doctor's hands as energy arced off them and from coils that appeared from his back. "They say it is fatal to get between a Loboan and their mate." The guy mused as he kept shocking Ben. Ben's whimpering and howls of agony brought Max running and pissed Gwen off. "No one hurts MY Ben!" She yelled at Doctor Viktor as her eyes began to glow blue with the power her fury generated, and she rose above the floor a few inches on the aura of raw bower she produced in her rage. The Transylian threw Ben into a wall as his limp body crumpled in response to the force with which Ben was thrown. "Electromus Inverti!" Gwen yelled as Doctor Viktor threw a punch her way. When the fist touched her, the attacker was sent flying backwards and knocked unconscious by the polarized energy as it cooked the Doctor. The electricity feedback also destroyed the signal relays placed across the Earth.

As Gwen came down off the adrenaline high, she floated back down to the floor. As soon as her feet got traction, she sprinted to Ben's side and held him gently. "I love you, you stupid Doofus! Don't leave me!" She said through tears of fear and pain as she held Ben's unconscious form in her trembling arms. She buried her face in his chest and began to sob as her heart shattered. Ben groaned and shifted. This caused her to look up from his chest as Ben's Loboan form retreated. He smiled weakly at his love and held her comfortingly in his arms. The moment was broken when Max cleared his throat. Ben and Gwen looked up. Then, panic settled in their eyes as they both turned red enough to rival Sith sabers. "H-how long have you been…" Gwen tried to ask but trailed off. Max looked at the children. "I came up about the time you told Ben you loved him." Max said kindly. He knew Gwen was scared by the tone in which she asked him, so he said. "I'm not angry. I just want an explanation." He said as he looked down at them.

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	6. Ice within the Fire

Chapter Six: The Ice within the Fire

As Ben looked up at Max's kind but serious look, he took a deep breath and squeezed Gwen's hand as she gave him a comforting smile. "It started at the wedding…" Ben began. "…I enjoyed dancing with Gwen when she was teaching me. I was so scared of Lucy making me fall and look like an idiot." Max smiled. "If that was all, why didn't you just politely bow out and stand off to the side?" Ben looked at Max with a shrug. "I felt more comfortable dancing with Gwen, and I wanted to show off a bit." Ben said with a slight blush. He stopped for a moment, but Max kindly motioned for Ben to continue. "What happened next, I can't really explain. As the last song ended, I brought Gwen down in a low dip, and our eyes connected. That's when I knew." He said as he looked at Gwen with a shy smile.

Max turned to Gwen. She shivered under the man's gaze. Max noticed and tried his best not to scare her. Gwen smiled suddenly. "It started that first night at the campsite. When Ben was cornered by one of Vilgax's drones, I slammed a shovel into the drone's head until it stopped moving. What Ben didn't hear under my breath was how I referred to him as 'my doofus cousin'." She said to Max with a blush as Ben looked at Gwen with a pleasantly surprised expression. "As the summer continued, I tried to hide my confusing feelings. I succeeded until about three weeks ago when Ghostfreak took me over. All I could think about in the darkness was never being able to see Ben again." She blushed as Ben smiled kindly at her. "I wasn't sure how Ben felt, so after that, I started dropping hints as I hoped for a bite. Boy, did I get one at the wedding!" She said as she gave Ben a kind peck on the cheek. Then, they both turned to Max and awaited his verdict.

Max tapped his chin in thought as he mused about the situation, the volatile nature of preteen emotions, and the usual duration of junior high romances. "I'll make you a deal." He said with a kind smile. "If this lasts until the end of summer, I will support you when you tell your Mom and Dad about this." The man said to his granddaughter. Ben looked at Max in aggravation. "Ben, there's not a real cultural stigma against this kind of relationship in Loboan tradition." He said with a smile. Ben smiled in relief, but Max's continued serious expression took that away from Ben's face quickly. "What is it?" Ben asked Max, a little worried. "Since you are going to be staying on Earth, Sandra and Carl need to know about the situation, and you need to be prepared to be under a lot of scrutiny when we get back." Max said to them worriedly. Gwen and Ben smiled at the man. "We understand, Grandpa." Ben and Gwen said in sync as the side hugged each other.

Meanwhile, Ghostfreak was back in the Watch plotting his revenge. "Those fools think I am gone, but I couldn't break out completely, thanks to my DNA still being in the Omnitrix. I really should thank that insufferable Creator if we ever meet again." Zs'Skayr smiled grotesquely and would have continued with his monologue had the Omnitrix not put his consciousness in a containment field which continually sent energy through his DNA to scramble his consciousness when it became strong enough to begin to affect Ben. "I will soon grow powerful enough to break free again," he said with an evil cackle. "For now though, I will enjoy torturing Ben in his dreams." Zs'Skayr said to himself as the field containing his DNA weakened slightly, signaling that the Omnitrix's Wielder had gone to sleep. The Ectonurite's grin widened. "It's time to have some fun!" The ghost alien said as he slowly let his mind seep into the boy's happy dreams.

As soon as Ben got back to the Rustbucket, he felt like he'd been running constantly for six hours straight. Ben trudged over to his bunk, climbed up the ladder, and was asleep almost before his head hit the pillow. As he slept, Ben could hear a far away dark laugh in the blackness just before his dream took shape. Ben's dream self was instantly on edge. Even in the dream, Ben could feel a dark presence with him. "Ghostfreak!" Ben growled. As if responding to the sound of the alien's name, Ben's mind generated the castle wall that was part of Bancroft Academy. Ben panicked when he looked around and saw Max tied up in Frightwig's hair with the other two Circus Freaks unconscious, face down on either side of Max and his captor but didn't see a certain redhead. "Ghostfreak, where is Gwen?!" Bed yelled as he glared at the empty space in front of him. Zs'Skayr materialized in front of Ben four foot above the walkway with Gwen below him in his claws. Ben's eyes went wide. "Gwen!" Gwen roused at his voice. "B-ben?" She asked tiredly as she raised her head slowly to look at him. "Gwen, hold on!" Ben didn't even bother to select an alien because of the time it would waste, He went Loboan and charged the demented monster.

Ben's prey seemed to vanish into thin air as Gwen fell toward the stone screaming. Ben jumped up and caught her before she hit the stone walk. "Gwen, please be ok." Ben said to her softly. "Ben? Ben, is he gone?" Gwen asked calmly as she looked around slowly, clearly scared. "I don't know, Gwen. Stay close" Ben told her as they went back to back. After a few moments of being in this ready fighting position, Gwen groaned softy and stumbled. Ben turned and caught her before she fell. "Gwen, you need to rest." Gwen's head turned completely around like "The Exorcist". Ben almost dropped her, but his fright instantly turned to anger when he saw the purple eyes of Ghostfreak staring at him through Gwen's eye sockets. "I'LL TEAR YOU APART, GHOSTFREAK!" Gwen's mouth formed an evil smirk. "Good luck doing it without hurting her!" Ben raised a claw to rip into Gwen but froze when he saw Gwen's green eyes. Out of her mouth came Zs'Skayr's voice. "Your choice, hero!"

Outside of Ben's nightmare, back in the Rustbucket, Ben's body was thrashing. Worried, Gwen sat up from reading a book and looked at Ben's bunk. That's when Ben's voice rocked the RV. "I'LL TEAR YOU APART, GHOSTFREAK!" That declaration brought the vehicle to the shoulder of the interstate in record time. Max and Gwen sprinted to Ben's bunk. Gwen reached up to wake Ben, but her grandfather's strong grip stopped her. "It's a night terror, Gwen. Try to wake him, and Ben will almost certainly hurt you." Max warned the mortified girl. Gwen's face became steely, and without a word, she ran to the couch and picked up her spell book. "Hang on, Ben," Gwen told him as she furiously searched the book for a spell that would help. "Help is coming."

Back in the nightmare, Ben was struggling with the choice he had to make. Ben knew he needed to stop the monster, but he didn't want to hurt Gwen. A thought hit him. _This is my dream. I make the rules. In here, I make the threats!_ With those thoughts driving him, Ben dug his claws into Dream Gwen and pulled Ghostfreak out of her. Ben then glared into Ghostfreak's eye. "In here, you only have power if I say you do!" Ben growled as he held Ghostfreak up. "You made a big mistake! You're fighting on my turf, Pal!" As Ben said that, the dreamscape filled with Gwen's voice. "Animus Seperant Irratica!" As Gwen's voice dissipated, a blue portal opened a few feet from Ben. "Looks like this is where you get out!" Ben growled as he threw a grinning Ghostfreak into the portal and woke up.

As Gwen searched through the spell book, tears began to sting her eyes as the thought that she might not be able to help Ben out of the current situation flooded her mind. Gwen fought back against the doubt with determination to help Ben as best she could. The look on her face when she found the separation spell was that of pure delight, but the look dimmed when she thought of the source of the invading presence inside Ben. "Grandpa, this spell will remove any trace of Ghostfreak from Ben, but…" Max smiled. "…he could use it to jump out of the Omnitrix completely.' Gwen looked at Grandpa Max, confused. "If you know, then why are you smiling?" Max tore down the curtains in the RV, and the afternoon sun filled the Rustbucket as they passed a border sign that announced they were now in The Lonestar State. "As they say in Texas, this ain't my first rodeo, cowgirl." He told her with a grin. Gwen shook her head at Max and glared at Ben's body. "Animus Seperant Irratica!" Gwen yelled. Blue energy flew from her hands and entered Ben's body. Gwen expected it but still shuddered as the blue glow around Ben's body turned a deep purple Gwen instantly recognized as the color of Ghostfreak's eye. Then, she watched nervously as Ben woke. The purple line of energy that was Zs'Skayr's mind jumped into the Omnitrix as it sought out its body. Gwen was tense for a few seconds as a purple ring remained around the Watch. Max, on the other hand, had a smile that played on his lips.

When the purple energy arched from the device on Ben's wrist to an empty area in the middle of the Rustbucket, Gwen jumped back in natural fear. The energy slowly formed into Zs'Skayr's True Form. Ben jumped from the bunk and got between the psyco and Gwen. "Grandpa! What are you smiling about?!" Gwen yelled. Max's grin widened. "Wait for it…" The old man said calmly as if he was waiting for the perfect moment to give the order to fire. As Zs'Skayr's purple aura faded and he lunged at Ben, he began to smoke and jumped as he let out a shriek of agony and exploded into nothing. Ben and Gwen stared at the charred spot on the floor that was now in the alien's place for a few seconds, afraid to move. Then, they sprinted toward each other and kissed passionately. Max sighed happily at the scene. _You were definitely wrong, Max._ He told himself. _They are truly in love._

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 ** _P. S. Did anyone catch my The Matrix: Revolutions reference?_**


	7. Romantic Reignition

Chapter Seven: Romantic Reignition

After their fight with Ghostfreak, Ben was understandably hesitant about going to sleep. Gwen could see the fight with Ghostfreak had drained them both. Ben was suffering from "Freddy Cougar Victim Syndrome". Gwen had never seen the movie, but she heard her parents talk about it. Ben definitely fit. Each time Ben dosed off, he would jolt to fully awake seconds later, breathing heavily. Gwen walked over to Ben and smiled as she took his hand and looked into the boy's tired eyes and put a hand on his cheek. "Ben, you need to sleep." She said calmly as she felt Ben shaking in her grip. The boy looked at her and nodded slowly. "I want to, but every time I try, I see him." Ben said as he tried to calm down in the green oasis that was Gwen's eyes. "Would it make you feel better if we slept next to each other?" Ben smiled sleepily at her and nodded. She returned the smile and led him to the couch. Ben sat on the couch and slowly laid down on it with a nervous expression. Gwen smiled and kissed him gently. "If anything tries to get you, Ben, I'll be right here." She said as she started to drift off next to him.

Soon, Ben was asleep, but despite initially finding sleep alluring next to Ben, Gwen found herself unable to sleep as the awkwardness began to set in. Gwen did her best to ignore it but couldn't. Her mind raced as she laid there. Again her Mind and Heart contended over the situation. _Ben needs the sleep,_ Gwen told herself. _If this is how he gets it, so be it._ She also noted that every time she moved, Ben would whimper as if even in his dreams he was aware of her and afraid she was leaving. Gwen frowned at that. The night was coming fast, and Grandpa Max would probably make both of them go to their bunks when the night came. She just wondered if Grandpa Max would understand why she was doing this and not make her move when it was time to go to bed. Once the awkwardness went away though, Gwen found it comforting to be so close to Ben and found herself asleep before she knew it.

Max had too much on his mind to sleep much that night. The sight of how much Ben and Gwen loved each other made the old man sad. He wasn't sad at Ben and Gwen's choice to be together. In fact, it was quite the opposite. He was happy for them. The reason Max was sad was because he saw himself and Xylene when he looked at Ben and Gwen. He loved Verdona, but her last words to him after suffering a fatal wound at the hands of a sorcerer named Hex still resonated in his ears. "Find happiness, Max. Don't be afraid." Max hated to admit it, but he had failed in his promise to listen to her a few weeks later when he and Xylene met. The man who had faced down Vilgax without fear ran at the first attempt of someone to reopen his broken heart. _You can't live in fear._ Max thought. _You'll fail every time._ Max was living proof of that. He was afraid to tell his children the truth, and his relationship with them suffered for it. Max was afraid to jump, and it cost him untold happiness. With those thoughts weighing on his mind, Max went outside into the cool night air to reminisce.

Hundreds of miles north of The Rustbucket, there was a loud crash in the snow-covered tundra of Northern Canada. Some people on snow mobiles were startled by the crash and went to investigate. They were not expecting what they found. A few got off their mechanical steeds and took a closer look at the strange pod. One was braver than the others and got down in the crater. He was feeling sure of himself until he touched the pod's window. As his hand drew away from the strange container, it hissed and steam poured from the odd contraption. This startled the man and caused him and his buddies to sprint away back to their vehicles. Xylene just shrugged as she walked out into the snow. "I thought this planet was warmer." She mumbled to herself before she got her tracker from the pod and took to the air. She sighed and looked down at a silver bracelet that functioned as a beacon for anyone on-planet. _Please, don't be completely retired, Max._ Xylene thought as she took to the air in search of the Omnitrix and, she hoped, Max.

The next morning, The Rustbucket was pulling into St. Louis as Max looked at the Arch tiredly. Ben and Gwen woke up and smiled at each other with their cheeks pink in slight embarrassment as they got off the couch. Ben decided a quick shower would clear his head of whatever was still bothering him about the previous night. As he washed and toweled dry, the last of the fear he had being feeling for the last day and a half left him. He sighed. "You needed that." He said aloud to himself as he quickly dressed and walked to the booth. It didn't take long for Ben to notice Max was not himself. Gwen met Ben about twenty minutes later and sat across from him. Ben gave a subtle gesture toward Max, and Gwen motioned for Ben to follow her out of the RV. Once the door was shut behind them, Ben and Gwen found a grassy hill and sat down. Then, Gwen began. "This is where Grandma and Grandpa met." Ben nodded, understandingly. "He's heartbroken." Ben said, knowing the feeling all too well. "I wish we could cheer him up." Ben said quietly. "We can try." Gwen said as they nodded to each other and walked back into the RV.

After a breakfast of Venison Pancakes, which strangely Ben found good while Gwen didn't, they went out to play in a park. They were playing when Gwen put a spell on Ben in the form of Wildmutt and made the dogs swarm him. When the Watch timed out, Ben got a big, slobbery kiss as Ben groaned in disgust. "Gwen, that wasn't funny." Gwen smiled and giggled. "That's according to whom?" She said before she started to chase him. Ben smiled and turned the tables quickly. He had just tackled Gwen and started tickling her when they heard screaming. Max snapped toward the sounds of distress. Then, he started toward the RV and quickly changed into his old Plumber suit and sighed. _Nothing like the old days…_ Max thought happily as he ran toward the disturbance

Ben went into battle mode and became Heatblast. He glared at a strange alien lizard. "What's your problem, Lady?" Ben growled as he glared at her. "Fine, you want to do this the hard way?" He then sent a river of fire her way and was surprised as the lizard lady's eyes glowed bright pink, and the lid on a nearby fire hydrant and redirected the flow of water toward Ben. Gwen glared at the lizard lady and blocked the water. "Don't touch, Ben!" Gwen yelled. Max glared at the back of the lizard. "Don't touch my grandkids!" Max yelled as he powered up his gun. The lizard lady blinked at the voice she heard in confusion. "Max, is that you?" Xylene asked as she turned to him in shock. Max lowered his weapon and slowly walked up to her as Ben glared at her. "Xylene, what brings you to Earth?" She looked at Ben as the Watch timed out and pointed at Ben's left wrist. "That!" She growled as Ben covered the Watch and drew his arm close to him. "I knew it!" He growled as he glared at Xylene. "She's just like all the rest!" He growled. "She-" Xylene glared at Ben. "That's quite enough, Boy!" She growled at him as she picked Ben up in a psychic field. Gwen glared at Xylene in anger and marched up to the alien lizard.

Max saw what was coming and got between them. "Calm down, Hon, and let Ben go please." Xylene was shocked by what Max called her. "What did you say, Max?" She asked. The old Plumber smiled. "At Roswell, I was an idiot." Max said calmly as he kissed her cheek. Ben and Gwen shared a stunned look then looked back at him. Max smiled at them. "I have you two to thank for helping me see my mistake." Max said as he smiled at Ben and Gwen and nodded at them appreciatively. Ben and Gwen started laughing nervously. "We're just happy to see you happy, Grandpa Max." Gwen said with a smile.

Max and Xylene were about to go on a date, also known as a simple walk through the woods, when an explosion rocked the area. "Seriously?!" Ben growled as he rolled his eyes Gwen was slammed into a tree. Ben glared in the direction of the attack and saw an old man in a black robe with a snake-head staff. Ben growled, let his Loboan form out, and attacked the man. As they rolled, Hex slammed Ben in the face with his staff. Ben's yowl of pain grabbed Max's attention instantly. He noticed the Sorcerer and paled. "No! Ben, don't!" Xylene stared at the scene. "That's Ben?" She asked in shock as they ran toward the battle. Ben bit Hex's arm and bent it back at an odd angle as the bone popped out, and Hex screamed in agony. "DO NOT TOUCH HER, YOU ASSHOLE!" Ben growled as he raked his claws across Hex's face. Hex stood, trembling in fear as Ben glared at him with Death burning in the boy's eyes. Hex shivered in fear at the boy and ran like a yellow chicken.

Xylene stayed back. "You never told me Ben was a Loboan pup." She said with a smile. Max smiled. "You never asked. Ben felt the rage leave him as Gwen dropped from the tree. Ben turned his head toward the tree and caught her before she hit the ground. "What was that all about?" Gwen asked tiredly as she looked up at Ben. "I don't know, but I think it had something to do with Grandma." He said calmly as they walked over to Max, hand in hand. "In order to protect ourselves better, we need to know everything." Gwen said calmly as she folded her arms. "Well, kids, your Grandma was the most powerful sorcerer on Earth." Gwen blinked. In shock at this realization, but it made sense. "Hex killed her for the power?" Ben asked. Max nodded sadly,. Xylene took his hand comfortingly. "You don't have to worry, Max," Xylene said as she kissed him gently. "Ben will always protect Gwen."

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	8. Death and Restoration

Chapter Eight: Death and Restoration

As Ben and Gwen sat on the edge of the forest talking after Hex had been humiliated earlier that day, they talked about the recent development between Grandpa Max and Xylene. "Well, that was unexpected." Gwen said with a small smile as she watched Max and Xylene walk into the forest with a smile on her face. Ben was somewhere else at that moment. _Why come after Gwen now when she's not even gotten to the point of mentally commanding spells?_ Ben asked himself in confusion. Then, he sighed. "Maybe Hex is smarter than I thought…" Ben said as he looked at Gwen with a slightly worried expression. "What is it, Ben?" Gwen asked as she looked at Ben's worried expression.

Ben didn't like the train of thought his brain was leading him to, but it seemed like a likely scenario. "Gwen, did that seem too easy to you?" He asked as he gestured to evidence of the fight. Now that she thought about it, Hex did seem a bit too eager to give up with the thought of Gwen's power so close to his grasp. She nodded. "With Hex's psychotic power hunger, I figured it would drive him to hunt me with everything he had." Gwen said with a shiver. "…even at the cost of me ripping him to shreds." Ben said darkly as he gripped Gwen's hand to calm her down. "That's what scares me about him giving up so easily. I don't think that attack was his endgame." Ben said as he looked into the setting sun.

"It's quite romantic. Isn't it, Ben?" Gwen asked as she pulled him close. She smiled as Ben looked at her. "It is." Ben said as Gwen breathed a sigh of relief. _Ben,_ She thought. _If you turn into Ben 10,000…_ She squashed the thought before it could get any further. She swore after Gwendolyn told her to cherish Ben as long she could that she would never let this happen to Ben. Every once in a while, Ben would do something that would be like The Bearded Jerk, and Gwen would be momentarily be terrified that Ben was slipping closer to that alternate future. Now, with her and Ben's feelings able to be expressed and out in the open, Gwen was almost sure Jerk Ben was good and gone, but she still saw traces of him every once in a while.

Ben noticed her far off look and gently brought her face around, so he could look her in the eye. "I'm not going to lose my mind with you around." He told her before he kissed her gently. "Ben 10 Jerkface is gone." He said with a kind smile. Gwen smiled happily at hearing Ben say that, but the smile started to fade as it began to get dark. "Grandpa Max and Xylene should be back by now to at least check on us before it gets too much later. Shouldn't they?" Ben sighed and looked around into the approaching darkness. "I don't see them." Ben said with a whimper as she looked in the direction Max and Xylene had left "This doesn't feel right." Gwen said nervously. "I don't think it is either." Ben said calmly as he glared into the darkness.

Ben sniffed the air and got a scent that made him almost gag. It was the scent of Grandpa Max and blood. _Damn it!_ Ben thought angrily. _I should have seen this coming!_ He then signaled for Gwen to get on his back and took off once she was on his back. "I knew that fight was too easy." Gwen's face became covered with worry, but she had to admit. It was a good plan. Lead them off with a fake fight, and go after Grandpa Max when he was away. Then, use Grandpa Max to lure them into a trap. Gwen smiled as she and Ben followed Max's scent to a clearing. Gwen got off Ben and looked around skeptically. "Gwen, stay close." Ben said with a glared ahead of him as he started to growl.

"Good pooch." Hex said with a dark smile as he appeared out of a circle of golden energy. "Where's Grandpa?!" Ben growled. Hex smiled and pointed above his head. In one of the trees, Max and Xylene were bound, and her eyes were covered with duct tape. "Ben! Gwen! It's a trap!" Max yelled to them, fear clear in his voice. "We know," Ben said. "We've got a plan." Gwen finished as Max couldn't help but smile, even in spite of his and Xylene's current predicament. Hex recited what Ben assumed was a spell and wasn't really surprised when the spell began to drain Gwen.

As she screamed, Ben knew he had only a limited window to attack in and wasted no time. The Loboan Pup glared at the Magician. He then leaped on Hex. The sorcerer expected this and used Ben's momentum to roll and throw Ben into a tree. Ben barely registered the pain of the impact because of the adrenaline coursing though his body. Ben's strikes bordered on superhuman with the speed at which they came at him. Hex managed to dodge some of these strikes. At first glance, it stunned Ben how quick the old man was. Then, he realized to his horror that Hex was using Gwen to rejuvenate himself while he stole her powers. "That isn't going to happen!" Ben growled as he glared MURDER into Hex's eyes. The man only hesitated slightly at the sight of Ben furious. That was Hex's mistake. Ben reached up and gripped Hex's neck angrily. "Let. Gwen. Go!" Ben demanded as his grip tightened around Hex's neck. To Ben's surprise, Hex didn't flinch, but Gwen screamed. Her scream was choked by coughing. Ben was sure Gwen was dying because of this. That she was dying at the hands of this sorry bastard only made Ben angrier. He threw Hex into a tree and, quicker than lightning, ripped the staff out of Hex's slack grip just before he slammed into a tree so hard the bark flew from the tree. Ben was relieved when Gwen didn't scream, but in the back of his mind, Ben knew that could also mean she was dead.

Ben turned on a dime and ran to Gwen with the staff in his hand. He knelt with tears stinging his eyes and picked Gwen up gently in both hands. He held her to his chest gently before he looked toward the sky and let out a mournful howl. Max activated a laser on his wrist and cut his bindings before he ripped the tape off of Xylene's eyes. She then used her powers to gently lower herself and Max to the ground. They both ran to Ben in fear and worry for him and Gwen. As Max and Xylene approached Ben, both were greeted by low growling as Ben's ears twitched at their movement. Max recognized the signs of a grieving Loboan, froze, and put a hand on Xylene's shoulder. The woman stayed back at Max's subtle touch. Max knew how dangerous a grieving Loboan was and knew distance was the best option. "Ben…" Max said calmly. "She's-" Ben glared at him. "DON'T SAY IT, MAX!" The hurt in the boy's eyes was unmistakable. He was destroyed. As Ben's hands shook, he picked up the staff and laid it, ever so gently, on her chest. "Sleep well, My Princess." Ben said as he put his hand to her cheek and tears began to fall, glistening raindrops of pain and sadness, onto the motionless chest of his…his mate.

Ben got up slowly and looked at Max and Xylene with trembling lips. "She…can't. She…just can't be…" Ben trailed off, unable to say the one word that was the source of his pain. Ben slowly walked up to Max, but it took all of the boy's will to do. He wanted to lie down across her body and die with her. As Max reached for the boy with an outstretched hand, Ben turned and ran back to Gwen's body. "Gwen, please come back to me!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. He gripped the staff, and it glowed in a strange golden hue. Ben sighed and tears began to soak into the wood from his eyes. Ben laid the staff back down and was about to let go when Gwen's chest rose and took a breath. Ben looked on in stunned silence for a moment just to make sure he wasn't seeing what he wanted to see. When Gwen's chest began to rise and fall more rapidly, Ben's eyes went wide with excitement and happiness as he kept his eyes on Gwen but called out, "Grandpa! Xylene! She's alive!"

Max and Xylene at first thought Ben had lost his mind and sprinted to his side. "Ben, please…" Ben gave Max an angry glare that shut the old man up instantly. When Ben looked back at Gwen, her eyes fluttered open, and Ben couldn't help himself. He kissed Gwen with all the passion he could muster. Gwen smiled weakly, reached up, and put a gentle hand to his cheek before she wiped away a stray tear. "Why are you crying?" She asked with a small laugh. "I thought guys weren't supposed to cry." Ben just looked at her eyes and drank them in for a few seconds before he answered. "I'm glad you're back, Dweeb." Ben said as he sat Gwen up gently. "Do you feel better?" Gwen smiled, leaned forward so she could get to his ear, and whispered. "Am I really your princess?" Ben's eyes went wide and he scratched his neck nervously. "You heard that?" She nodded as Ben's cheeks turned a bright shade of red. He laughed nervously. "I…I was…" She laughed at him. "I like the idea. Don't worry, Doofus." She said with the kind of tone that made Ben worry.

Once they got back to the RV, Max started cooking dinner. It may have seemed strange, but it was Max's way to give Ben and Gwen time to talk alone about what happened. Ben and Gwen sat down across from each other on opposite couches. Gwen began by looking at Ben with tears in her eyes. "The last thing I remember is you slamming Hex into the wall. Then, there was a disconnect in my body. I could still hear, but that was all. You kept me here, Ben." She said as she walked over and put her hand on his. "I couldn't leave knowing the best part of you would die with me." She said as she took him in a comforting hug. As he laid his head on Gwen's shoulder, tears of joy flowed from Ben's eyes. He nor Gwen had ever been so happy in their lives.

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	9. Retribution and Reassurance

Chapter Nine: Retribution and Reassurance

Gwen looked up at Ben as they broke away from the embrace. Gwen looked around. Ben sighed and looked at her. "You ok, Gwen?" Ben asked worriedly. "Ben, where's Kevin?" She asked as she looked around in a panicked state. "What did you see, Gwen?" Gwen looked at Ben with terror in her eyes. "I saw Kevin…kill you in a pit or something. I was red and full of floating rocks." Ben shivered at her description. Max sighed. "Sounds like Kevin's still in the Null Void. It's nothing to worry about, Gwen." Max said calmly with a smile. Gwen shivered. "You didn't hear what I heard." Gwen said as she began to cry. Ben's anger shot up, but he managed to control it. "What did he say, Gwen?" Gwen shivered. "You don't want to know, Ben." Gwen said as she looked into his eyes and shivered.

The fear Ben saw in her eyes was not unlike when she was being carried off by Animo's mutant bird. Ben hated to see fear on Gwen's face. It angered him more that his archenemy was able to somehow link with her enough to communicate with her. That alone was enough to send Ben into the red zone, but the fact that Kevin would hit on Gwen in her weakened state had Ben reaching for the Null Void Projector with a glare of pure hate. "Ben! What are you doing?" Grandpa Max asked in a concerned and worried look on his face. Ben looked at Max with such anger in his eyes, Max knew it would be suicide to try and stop the ten year old from doing what he was about to do. "Kevin is going to wish he'd never tried to talk to Gwen." Ben said calmly with an edge of darkness in his voice.

Gwen suddenly thought of something. "Vilgax is still there with Kevin. There's no way you'll be able to take them both down, Ben." Gwen said as she put a gentle hand on his in an effort to calm him, so Ben would think about what he was doing and not blindly jump into battle like he had so many times before. Ben looked into her eyes, closed his, and allowed calmness to come to his mind. As he opened them again, Gwen could still see the anger in Ben's eyes, but it was chained up and simply waiting to be released. Ben smiled, went to his bunk area, and pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper that looked like step-by-step instructions for drawing an Omnitrix, but upon closer inspection, one would see it was a series of commands for the Omnitrix. "One thing you learn early in gaming…" He smiled, laid the paper on the table, and smoothed out the creases. "…ALWAYS write down cheat codes you come across." He said as he looked up from the paper at Grandpa Max, Gwen, and Xylene.

Gwen stared at the paper in front of her in mild shock. _Ben's gaming addiction paid off. That's a first._ Gwen thought to herself with a smile before she looked up at Ben, and asked, "Is that The Master Control Sequence?" Ben nodded before he started twisting and turning the dial in different directions. "You may just have a brain in there after all, Doofus." Gwen said as she playfully punched him with a mischievous grin on her face. Ben just laughed at the playful jab. His smile widened as the Omnitrix cycled through his aliens' silhouettes quickly before it returned to a blank face, letting him know he had successfully unlocked Master Control…again.

As Ben reached for the projector, Max gripped Ben's hand firmly. "Ben, do you know what happens to those who go looking for blood?" Max paused for a few moments to let Ben think about the question before he answered it for Ben. "They find it." Max said soberly as he lifted his hand off of the projector. Ben gently took the projector and hit a few switches on the dash he'd seen Grandpa Max use multiple times. A panel flipped open revealing a similar jet pack Gwen had used earlier in the summer to rescue Ben. Ben hugged his Grandpa and kissed Gwen gently. "I'll be back, Gwen," Ben said with a smile and reassuring tone. "I promise." With that said Ben walked a safe distance from the RV, activated the projector, and walked through.

As the portal closed behind Ben, he thought of when Gwen had told him about what he had missed out on. Ben couldn't help but chuckle at his Grandfather. Of course the projector would malfunction! If it was anything like Ben's gaming systems, it would overheat if left on. Hey, even alien tech had to have core temperature optimal ranges. Ben sighed as he looked down at the projector clipped to his belt and smiled before his face became rocky, and he continued on his mission: find and kill Kevin before he broke out and came after Gwen.

Ben was on guard as he looked around the Null Void. _They're around here somewhere, but where?_ Ben asked himself as he looked around. He was about to go XLR8 when he remembered something Max told him. "Be patient. Listen to your instincts." Ben remembered thinking: _I'm not an animal. I don't have instincts._ Ben would have laughed at himself had he not been concentrating on finding Kevin. Ben took a calming breath and closed his eyes. The sounds of Null Guardians could be heard in the distance. _They are south and below me…_ Ben thought. "They wouldn't screech like that unless they found prey." Ben mumbled as he followed the sounds to their source and hid on an asteroid a few hundred yards from where the Null Guardians were gathered. Ben wasn't really that surprised when he saw them flee from a wave of fire. As the smoke cleared, Ben saw his target fighting with Vilgax over a scrap of food.

"You overbearing, squid-faced piece of shit," Kevin growled. "Let go!" Kevin was slammed into a wall as Vilgax's fist sent him flying. Ben allowed himself to laugh aloud at that. Both grotesque heads turned towards Ben's hide and smiled. Ben flew out of his hide and both pairs of eyes followed him. "Tennyson!" Kevin growled. "I'm going to…" Ben had impeccable timing with his insult. "…screw Vilgax up his…" "…asshole!"" Kevin unintentionally finished the statement. Then, Kevin realized what Ben had implied and tackled the boy in a rage-fueled sprint. Ben just smiled and mentally ordered the Omnitrix to take back the energy Kevin had stolen. Kevin screamed as he fought to hang on to the power, but the Omnitrix ripped it away. Kevin's now human form struggled to hang on to Ben's rocket pack. Ben threw Kevin off the pack with a summersault. Ben then ordered the Omnitrix to turn him into Four Arms. Once the green light dissipated, Ben roughly gripped Kevin and threw him like a baseball into Vilgax. The warlord only slid back a few inches, but Kevin's bones could be heard cracking as they impacted against Vilgax's wall of a frame. _Such brutality from the human child…why?_ Vilgax thought, a little shocked at the boy's drastic change in tactic and use of force.

Ben allowed the Omnitrix to time out but had his Loboan form at the ready. Vilgax gave Ben an amused look and started laughing. "So…the myths about your kind are true?" Vilgax asked as he threw a limp Kevin to the side and walked up to Ben. "To threaten a Loboan's mate means certain death." Ben just growled out a warning at Vilgax. To Ben's surprise, the warlord flinched at this action. Vilgax then shook the fear away and glared at Ben. "I will have the Omnitrix, boy!" Vilgax yelled. The cybernetic enhancements may have boosted Vilgax's strength to impossible levels, but it cost the overgrown calamari speed. Ben just sighed and dodged Vilgax's attempts to hit him with ease. Frustrated, Vilgax slammed his fists into the ground. The resulting ripple of rock sent Ben spinning. Now, with his opponent caught off balance and out of his element, Vilgax went on the offensive. The warlord used the momentum created by the shockwave to propel himself into the air, grabbed Ben, and threw him into a small asteroid. The boy groaned as he hit the asteroid.

 _Note to self: Never intimidate a psychotic warlord._ Ben thought to himself as he sat up. "I hope I don't have to do that again." Ben mumbled as his whole body throbbed in pain. He got to his feet just in time to roll away from a claw. _I have to find a way to slow him down to buy myself enough time to get out of here._ Everything in him hated the word "retreat". Somehow, Ben knew that was part ofhis Loboan heritage. His instincts were begging Ben to fight Vilgax and die instead of run away. Then, Ben thought of Gwen. _She would be devastated if I didn't come back._ Ben thought sadly with a whimper. The sound gave Ben an idea. To Ben's knowledge, Vilgax had never used sonic weapons. He had to know they existed if the Plumbers had sonic weapons to be able to subdue Vupimancers. _Maybe Vilgax's hearing is more sensitive than humans._ Ben thought to himself as he continued to dodge Vilgax's strikes. "Maybe, I need to find out who has your heart, Loboan," Vilgax growled. "Then, I can kill her and pummel you as your Loboan blood forces you to fight and die by my hands!"

Ben smirked as Vilgax got close enough for droplets of spittle to land on Ben's face during the mad tyrant's rant. Then, Ben howled as loud as he could in Vilgax's face. Vilgax yelled in pain as his hands covered his ears in a fruitless attempt to stop the sound and stumbled back as black blood dripped from Vilgax's unseen ears down the sides of his face. Disoriented and deaf because his ears were destroyed by the blast of sound, Vilgax tried to run at Ben but got extreme vertigo when he tried to move and ended up falling back to the ground. Ben glared at Vilgax and pointed to his lips. "That was a warning Vilgax!" Ben told him calmly before he walked away and activated the portal home out of Vilgax's sight.

On the other side of the portal, Ben was swamped in a hug by Gwen who looked at him with angry tears in her eyes. "BENJAMIN TENNYSON! What were you thinking?!" Gwen yelled as she slapped him with all her might. Then, she broke down and started to bawl on his shirt as she shook with fear and sadness. "Gwen, I'm ok. Look at me" Ben said as he gently pushed her away so she could look him over. His shirt was in tatters. His pants were ripped at the left knee. He had a few cuts and bruises across his back. Once Gwen was satisfied Ben was ok, her look turned deadly. "Why did you feel the need to take on Vilgax and Kevin by yourself?!" Gwen growled at him with a withering glare. "I didn't want to risk Kevin kidnapping you, or they use you as a bargaining chip like last time." Bern said as he pulled her close. "I almost lost you once. I don't think I can handle it again." Ben said as he wiped the tears from her eyes and kissed her gently. Gwen broke the kiss and looked at Ben worriedly. "What about-" Ben cut her off by putting a gentle finger to her lips. "Kevin is out of our hair for good." He said to her comfortingly with a smile.

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	10. Discovered and Disrupted

Chapter Ten: Discovered and Disrupted

Ben and Gwen shivered and looked at Max and Xylene as fear ran through both of them the following night as the four of them rode along the highway in silence. Max looked at the children with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong, Gwen?" Max asked. She was about to answer when a van rocketed past them. Xylene glared at the van. "What's the problem with humans obeying their own laws?" She asked the trio in confusion. Gwen and Ben sighed. "Money talks." They said in sync as Xylene looked on more confused as she tried to figure out the expression. Gwen smiled and nodded at Ben as she made a ramp out the asphalt with a spell. Their vehicle flew up into the air. Ben smiled, went Diamondhead, and caught the van in a giant crystal hand. The van came to a halt instantly, but momentum threw the crooks into the window. If the window wasn't reinforced to be bulletproof, they would have smashed through the window and been crushed once they hit the pavement. Even so, the would-be robbers turned the window into a spider web.

To say the cops that were nonplused were they came upon the crooks in their unusual predicament was an understatement. One guy got out of his squad car and stared up at the armored bank truck in the palm of a massive crystal humanoid hand. "Uh…Dispatch we have a rescue situation in the middle of I-60. Call in a ladder truck, please." He looked back to see an RV pull up behind the car. The cop glared at the occupants. "Excuse me," He called out nervously. "Exit the vehicle, please." The people in the RV complied, but the cop's eyes were drawn to the crystal humanoid thing. The creature went to step toward him but stopped when a fiery redheaded ten year old girl held up a hand and said, "Stop it, Ben. You're freaking him out!" The girl said as she glared lightly at the creature. The creature, apparently called "Ben", nodded and reached up. The patrolman stood in shock as he watched the giant hand respond to the smaller one and copy its motions as the hand shrank back into the ground until even the fingers of the colossal hand disappeared and left only holes in the asphalt to show that it had even existed. "They are all yours, officer." Ben said as the officer's jaw tried to meet the ground. "Dispatch, cancel that ladder truck." He said with a calm smile. He was still leery of Ben, but if the alien wouldn't hurt the girl, it was safe to assume he wasn't a threat. "Thanks for the assist." The officer said before he packed the back of the cruiser up with the crooks and took off for downtown.

As the police pulled away from the scene, Gwen smiled at Ben. "Who's your hero?!" She whispered to Ben in his ear as the boy chuckled and shook his head. "That's the way of Ben 10K, Gwen." Ben reminded her with a sigh as he kissed her. They walked inside the RV, and out of curiosity, Ben turned on the TV. What came on wasn't that surprising. The newscaster had a finger in her ear as she looked down from a chopper that overlooked the chaos Ben and the others had just left. "It seems there was a helping hand in the streets of San Francisco just a few moments ago that assisted in the capture of a ring of bank robbers. Sources say that this benevolent protector travels with a young girl and an older man…" Ben shut the TV off and looked at Max and Xylene worriedly. "I hope certain people don't see this." Ben said kinda scared as he gripped Gwen's hand in an effort to calm himself down. "If my parents see this, what are they going to do. Ben?" She smiled and kissed him. "The worst they could do is call me back home." She said as she looked at him with calm eyes. "That's what worries me, Gwen," Ben said calmly. "If any of our enemies heard about the team splitting up, they would be stupid not to take the opportunity and take us out one at a time."

Gwen gave him a small smile. Sometimes she hated helping Ben embrace his smarter side. "Ben, if my parent's call, how will the bad guys be able to find out where I live?" Ben just shook his head. "Even our dumbest enemy built a mutation ray out of spare parts." He said calmly. "I don't think a phone trace would be too much trouble for any of them." Xylene looked at them and frowned. "I don't mean to worry you Gwen, but phone taps into human communication networks are fairly simple for aliens." She said calmly as Max nodded in agreement. Max began to work on a communication bug that would alert him through the detection network built into the RV and released the program into the phone network. "Gwen, if anyone taps your mother and father's phones, I'll know about it." Grandpa Max told her calmly with a comforting tone.

Gwen was not soothed by her grandfather's comforting words. Ben could see that much as she went to her bunk and sat down without a word or book in her hand. He did not want her to feel that she was alone, so he went and sat by her. Gwen seemed to brighten slightly as she became aware that Ben sat beside her. Ben looked at her face and put his hand on her cheek. "Everything will be okay, Gwen." He said as he pulled her into a gentle hug. "I won't let them get hurt. I promise." Ben smiled at Gwen with a kind and gentle tone. Gwen returned the smile and kissed him gently, comforted with the knowledge that Ben was willing to protect her Mom and Dad in spite of the fact they would probably hate what Ben was once they found out. As Gwen snuggled into Ben's slightly furry and warm chest, Max smiled at that scene as he watched in the rearview. _You're learning, Ben._ Max thought as Xylene reached over from the passenger seat and slapped him.

Max looked ather with a stunned look. "What I'd do?" He whispered Xylene just shook her head. "You shouldn't praise Ben for doing what comes naturally as if it had to be learned." Xylene told him calmly with a slight glare. Max looked at his love with a perplexed expression. "Loboans are very affectionate toward their mates, Max. You truly have been out of the game too long if you've forgotten that." Xylene said calmly. "It wasn't that, Xylene…" Xylene smiled at Max. "My people are telepaths. We only communicate verbally for the benefit of other species." That brought a pale look to Max's face. "Do you think I would intrude deeper into your thoughts unless invited?" Xylene couldn't cry; her reptilian physiology made such an action impossible. Nonetheless, the sadness the accusation that she would betray Max's trust made her feel was evident in her face. "Max, you must know I would never do such a thing." She said as she used her powers to keep the RV in its lane and kissed Max softly.

About an hour later as Xylene was getting up to get something to eat, Gwen's emergency phone rang. Because she was soundly asleep lying on Ben's chest with him sitting and because he did not want to wake her, Ben gently picked it up. "Hello?" He asked in a whisper. "Ben, where's Gwen, and why do you have her phone?!" Ben tried to control himself, so he wouldn't scream at Lilly and wake Gwen in the process. "She's asleep, and I didn't want to wake her." Ben could almost see the fire in the woman's eyes over the phone as she posed the next question. "That's from chasing down bank robbers, I suppose?" Ben felt a growl form in his throat. Something about Lilly's tone made the boy furious. "Listen here and now. If I find you laid a finger on Gwen because of this…" Lilly's tone showed how shocked she was at Ben's response, but fed up with the woman, Ben gave the phone to Grandpa Max before he could hear her response.

Max looked over as Ben quickly handed him the phone. Max noted Ben's annoyed, almost irate, expression and prepared himself. "…how dare you talk to me like that, young man! I have a good mind to-" Max cleared his throat to let Lilly know who she was talking to. "I understand, Lilly," Max told her calmly. "We'll be back as soon as possible." He told her. He was about to hang up when Lilly stopped him. "When Gwen wakes up, can you tell her that her Biology teacher stopped by." As Lilly stopped talking, Max was able to hear a familiar voice in the background. Max's tone became serious as soon as he registered the voice. "Lilly…what does Gwen's Biology teacher look like?" Max's tone became serious to the point that it almost sounded angry when she rattled off Doctor Animo's description. "We'll be right there, Lilly!"

Ben was able to hear most of the conversation and was already covering the RV as Upgrade when Max hung up. "Hold onto your butts!" Ben said calmly as he pushed the Upgraded hyperjets in the RV to their limit. During the blindingly fast trip, Gwen woke up and asked what was going on. "Animo found your Mom and Dad, Gwen." Ben told her as they flew up to Gwen's street and coasted into her driveway. The four of them jumped out of the Rustbucket and quickly cased the house. Ben could see clearly into the living room and saw Frank and Lilly bound and gagged in the middle of the floor.

Quickly, Ben thought up a plan. "Xylene, cloak me, Grandpa, and Gwen with your powers. Once we're inside, Gwen will cast that spell on Animo that she put on me to make me into a human chew toy." When everyone gave him an odd look because he referred to himself as human, Ben rolled his eyes and said, "You know what I mean." Ben then continued. "Gwen's distraction will buy Grandpa enough time to free Gwen's parents. Then, I'll deal with Animo." They all nodded in agreement. Gwen, out of the three who hadn't thought up the plan, was the most impressed with it. _You've come a long way, Doofus._ Gwen thought to herself as she mumbled the spell. Once the neighborhood dogs swarmed Animo, the disoriented mad doctor was an easy take down. Animo didn't stand a chance. Ben leaped at him, dug in with his claws as Animo screamed, and whispered as if he was talking to child, "You now know not to mess with my family. Don't you?" Animo nodded slowly. "Good boy." Ben cooed before he threw Animo out the window.

When Frank and Lilly saw Xylene after everything had cooled down, things went nuts. "Who is she Dad?" Frank yelled. "I don't care about that! What is she?!" Ben felt a growl form in his throat and let his Loboan form out. Franks eyes went wide as he watched his supposed nephew turn into a biped wolf. Max used the stunned silence as a cue, and started to explain the basics of his double life to his daughter-in-law and son. Once Max was done with that, Frank noticed his daughter was a little too close to Ben. "Let me guess. You two are together." Frank meant this sarcastically. When Ben nodded and Gwen looked at Ben with a beaming smile, the man fainted.

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	11. Discovered and Disrupted (Part Two)

Chapter Eleven: Discovered and Disrupted (Part Two)

Max sighed and shook his head with a small smile at his son's reaction to the news. Lilly knelt by Frank and tried to wake him. She shook him, but he wouldn't budge. Gwen sighed, shook her head with a small giggle, looked around, filled up a cup with ice water from the sink, and threw it at her father. Before it touched his face, Frank and Lilly scattered. Gwen started to tug at her shirt as she began to sweat. _Overbearing heat plus revulsion of water equaled Limax._ Ben thought. Gwen looked over at Ben, and he gave her a slight nod but wondered how the creatures had made the trip. Ben's eyes glowed with anger as he stared down the copies of Frank and Lilly. As he reached for the Omnitrix, the Limax grinned. "What are you going to do? Scorch us like last time?" The one who was the copy of Frank asked with a tone that suggested the creature…enjoyed heat. Ben smiled, shook his head, and activated the Omnitrix.

Max smiled creepily and jumped Ben while he changed. Gwen shivered. "They've all been taken!" She said as she felt "Xylene" lift her into the air and throw her into a wall on the other side of the room. As Ben heard Gwen scream in sudden pain, he threw Max off of him and sprayed the doppelganger with a sheet of ice. Gwen smiled when she saw that as she slowly got back to her feet. "Artiguana? C-" Ben shook his head with a sigh which filled the air in front of him with ice crystals. "Don't say it, Gwen." Ben rasped with a small glare aimed at her. The other two ameba aliens were trying to slide away out into the relative safety of the outdoors.

Gwen's face contorted in anger, and her hand shot up with visible blue energy flowing through it. The oak door slammed shut in response. The two creatures looked back and morphed into their human guises once more. "You wouldn't hurt your own mother and father. Would you, Gwen?" "Lilly" asked with a scared look. "You're right. I wouldn't." Relief washed over the creature's face once it heard Gwen say that. "There's just one problem. You're not them." Gwen said calmly. "Stay close, Ben. It's about to get very cold in here." Gwen said with a mildly dark tone as he frowned and walked over to her quickly to get into the enchantment ring Gwen had mentally set up. "Tempestus Frio!" Gwen yelled. Instantly, a raging snowstorm came into existence. Except for a three foot wide circle around Ben and Gwen, the room had turned into a blizzard. The creatures screamed in agony at the unbearable cold. "We'll tell you anything!" The one disguised as Max screeched. "Just stop this Pit you put us in!" "Lilly" screamed. Instead of complying with the aliens' wishes, Gwen poured more energy into the spell. The room turned into a solid white sheet of snow and howling wind. "You need to suffer!" Gwen screamed.

Ben shivered then glared at Gwen. "You're not going to be Anakin if I can help it!" Ben yelled over the howl of the wind as the Omnitrix timed out. He then turned Gwen to him and kissed her. The storm disappeared instantly with Gwen's concentration once she felt Ben's lips on hers. The room was still cold enough to be able to turn their breath to steam, though. This caused Ben to laugh. Gwen gave Ben a forced smile. Then, she broke down. "Ben, what did I just do?" She asked as she looked at him with scared puffy eyes. "You did what you felt you needed to do." He told her as he rubbed her back comfortingly. "I want my Mom and Dad back, Ben." She said quietly. "We will find them. Don't worry." He then glared at the creatures that were pinned to the wall and appeared to be shivering.

Ben walked over to them and growled lowly in fierce anger. "I'm only going to ask this once. Where are Gwen's parents, Grandpa Max, and Xylene?!" The creatures shivered and turned away from him in fear. "The food is on its way off-world to our home world as a banquette for the Queen." One said before a chorus erupted from them. "All hail the Queen!" Ben glared at them and put them in jars filled with ice as they yelled in pain. "The best thing to do now would be catch them." Gwen said as she reached in and hesitantly touched the one that replaced Grandpa Max. She felt a rush of energy and saw an underground cavern filled with pods just like in Arizona. Then, the scene zoomed out of show caves just outside of Bellwood that Gwen had never seen before. "Gross!" Gwen said as she furiously wiped it on her pants' leg. Ben laughed at her, but he quickly became serious again. "What did you see, Gwen?" Ben asked calmly. "I saw caves on the outskirts of Bellwood. Just head north, and we'll run into them." Ben shook his head. "I don't remember caves anywhere around here, Gwen." She sighed. "I know you have a brain, but common sense still doesn't work for you." Gwen said with a giggle. Ben sighed, went XLR8, and raced off toward the fresh caves north of Bellwood.

Once there, Gwen got off Ben's back and looked into the mouth of the darkened cave in mild apprehension. "G-Ghostfreak…" Gwen mumbled with a glazed look in her eyes. Ben took her hand gently and looked her in the eyes. "I'll be right here the whole time, Gwen." Ben told her with a kind smile. He knew Ghostfreak was gone but also knew that the monster had scarred Gwen to the point that she was terrified of dark spaces. The girl wouldn't so much as take a step into the dark without Ben. It was something Ben picked up on when he and Gwen ventured into the dark forest after Hex kidnapped Grandpa Max and Xylene. After that, Ben noticed Gwen using a nightlight to be able to sleep. "I'm right here, Gwen. Ben told Gwen again as he squeezed her hand. She looked at him, and the terrified look in Gwen's eyes shrank away gradually. "Let's…go." Gwen told him nervously with a small smile. Ben nodded, and together they slowly walked into the cave.

Ben looked around. He could see the faintest trace of light at the far end of the cave and could make out a faint scent trail of Grandpa Max. "Damn!" Ben growled in frustration. "The scent is too weak!" Ben said with a whimper. Then, Ben's ears perked up, and he hit the Omnitrix with a smile. Once Ben was Wildmutt, the scent trail became much clearer, and he could see multiple heat signatures in the distance. "Gwen, get on." Ben told her in a series of growls. She nodded and got on Ben's back without hesitation. Once Gwen had a firm grip on Ben's neck, he took off toward the scent.

Lilly groaned as he woke up and looked around. She was in a dark cave and some creatures with watery voices. "…the Tennyson girl and the Loboan have been handled." One voice said. Another, this one deeper, seemed pleased by the news. "Good," it said. "Prepare the best morsels for transport." The first voice said, "Yes, Master." Then, there was a strange squishy sound like the first creature was moving away. Lilly looked around and almost screamed at what she saw. Max, Frank, and Max's Alien Lady Friend were packed away in some sort of egg-like pod. Lilly looked around in a mild panic for any sharp objects she could use to cut the pods open. She then saw it. A rusty pickax, a leftover from Bellwood's start as a mining town in the 1860's, was lying at the back of the cave a few feet from her. As quietly as she could, Lilly inched her was over to the tool. As she picked it up, one of the creatures saw her and shrieked an alarm to the others. With nothing to lose, Lilly sprinted over to Max's pod and swung the mining implement. As the tool put a rip into the pod, the one of the creatures grabbed her by the leg and pulled her away from it. As Lilly prepared to accept her fate as a course for these aliens' monarch, the sound of someone running caught the attention of Lilly's captors. She looked up in shock at the sound of her daughter yelling and was shocked to find Gwen riding some orange dog thing.

Gwen glared at the Limax as she got off Wildmutt's back. "Get away from my family!" Gwen yelled as her hands glowed with energy. The Limax, being a mild hive mind, knew what Gwen was capable of and slid back a few inches as Ben started ripping apart pods. They shrieked in fear at the efficiency of the Vulpimancer and the human girl. Their fears only grew when they saw Max Tennyson. "The Queen's Great Prize! It must not fall!" The Limax said in unison as they formed into a single giant monster.

Ben sighed and took Gwen's hand. "The bigger they are, the harder they freeze." Ben said as Gwen released the same spell she used on them earlier but with much more control this time with her family's safety keeping Gwen's powers in check. The creature began to shrink as the cold destroyed the Limax's delectate, microbe-based biology. As it continued to shrink, the creature's cries of pain woke Frank and Xylene. Max was quick to come to Xylene's aid. That action from his father stunned Frank. His eyes stayed on the alien woman so fixed that Frank fell to the cave floor when he tripped over his pod's slick casing. Lilly was quick to catch her husband but hid a laugh as she did so. The sound of kissing behind her robbed Lilly of the question she was about to ask Max. Instead, she turned to her daughter and Ben as they parted. "I never get tired of that." Gwen said. As Ben looked back, he noticed the pissed expression of Frank and Lilly's faces. He turned ashen more out of embarrassment than fear because he forgot that to Frank and Lilly, he was still their nephew and Gwen his cousin. Ben silently turned Gwen's head toward her parents who were glaring at her.

As they walked out of the caves, Ben and Gwen took turns explaining in a strange cohesion of thought about everything to Gwen's parents. Occasionally, Max would interject to explain something that the children forgot to elaborate on for their audience. Max was pleasantly surprised at how well his son and daughter-in-law seemed to take this, but Gwen knew this was just a pleasant façade. She could tell by the way he kept giving her angry looks that this was far from over. Ben noticed too and jumped in front of Frank. "You have something to say," Ben growled. "You can say it in front of all of us." Frank held his peace as they walked back to Gwen's house.

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	12. The Benefactor and Family Business

Chapter Twelve: The Benefactor and Family Business

Vilgax was fuming as he pounded out his anger on a sturdy asteroid. "How could that pathetic child make a fool of me?!" Vilgax roared to no one as the sound of his angry venting carried through the Void. He smiled grotesquely at hearing his own voice. _My body's enhanced regeneration abilities have done their work._ He thought to himself as they had done months before when his ship was blown to bits by that insufferable Xylene. Then, his mind turned in fury back to the source of his anger. "Ben Tennyson, who does your heart belong to?" He asked himself as he began to pace. As medal fell on stone in time with Vilgax's footsteps, his mind reviewed the past few Earth months. "Ah, yes…" He said slowly after his third or fourth cycle of pacing. The red-haired human that traveled with Max Tennyson and the Loboan. The boy was clearly protective of her. _She is his weakness._ Vilgax thought with an even wider, marred grin of amusement.

Meanwhile, Ben and Gwen were waiting on Frank to snap and slap his daughter. The whole room was on edge as the family sat back down in Frank and Lilly's living room. Ben and Gwen were on a couch near the door. Xylene, Max, and Lilly sat on a sectional across from Ben and Gwen. Frank sat in his recliner next to the sectional with his fingers touching in a pyramid, classic intimidation, formation. The tension was so thick; it would have to be cut with a chainsaw. No one spoke or moved for a good minute and a half. Frank was trying to scare Gwen. Max had used this own tactic on his sons a few times and knew it when he saw it, but Gwen's face remained stoic. After facing down an intergalactic warlord, parental intimidation tactics lose their effectiveness.

Finally, Frank exploded. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" The blast with which the words came made Gwen shiver and want to hide. The same tone made Ben want to jump down Frank's throat and beat him to a pulp from the inside. Max noticed what Frank was doing to Gwen and Ben, and cleared his throat. "Son…" He said firmly. Frank turned his venom on his father. "Don't you DARE try to talk me down! You left Mom for this piece of space junk!" He said as he glared and pointed at Xylene angrily. Xylene didn't take that well and slammed him into the wall with a force field. "Would you calm down for a moment and listen to your father and daughter?!" She asked with a glare of her own.

Frank relaxed slightly and waited calmly on his father to explain. "Your Mom died in a battle with a sorcerer named Hex." Frank looked at Max questioningly. "Why didn't you tell Carl and me?" Frank asked, much calmer than before. Max laughed nervously. "I didn't know how to begin." He said as he scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Since you know about Ben, I guess there is nothing to hide now." Max said with a sigh. ""Hide?! My brother has been harboring a beast and has the gall to call this mutt his son!" Ben growled angrily as Gwen glared at her father. "Come on, Gwen. Let's go." Ben said calmly as he got up and gently brought her to a standing position. Gwen nodded, though she was sad to see her father reject her and Ben. As the door shut behind Ben and Gwen, Max got a horrible feeling and followed his grandchildren out worriedly.

In The Null Void, Vilgax was hunting for scraps when a voice called to him. Vilgax glared in the direction of the voice as it became clear. "…I can get you the revenge you desperately want." Vilgax glared harder at the voice's direction. "You dare attempt to bargain with me without showing your face, Coward!" An electric purple mist rippled and writhed as if something was trying to push its way to freedom through a thick film. A groaning filled Vilgax's ears as something slowly emerged from the strange anomaly. The figure was dressed in black with minor purple lines down the arms and legs of the suit. His face was obscured by a black opaque mask. The same deep voice echoed from this figure. "Vilgax, you worthless piece of insignificant slime-" Vilgax roared. "Insulting me is not wise, foolish human." The war load then ran at the black-clad figure. As soon as Vilgax touched the mystery figure, his hand aged to an old haggard thing in an instant. At seeing this stranger wield Time itself as if the power was a toy, Vilgax stared in amazement and slight fear at the figure. "I am not from this Universe. In my home, humans have power over Time, but we have doomed ourselves with such power." Vilgax stared at him. "Call me The Benefactor, slime." The Benefactor said as he opened a purple portal back to Earth. Vilgax felt a grin form on his face as he crossed the portal.

Ben and Gwen were walking to Carl and Sandra's house to get their opinion on the matter. They may not have been his parents, but Ben still valued their opinion. Max ran up to them and gave them a light glare. "Why did you two run off?" He asked with a curious look. "It's obvious Dad hates Ben." Gwen said as calmly as she could. "We don't need that." Max glared at them. "Do you know how many enemies you've made? It's dangerous for you to go anywhere alone." Max said calmly. No sooner had Grandpa Max stopped talking than a portal opened and Vilgax walked out. Ben and Gwen went into their battle stances, but before Vilgax could even open his mouth, he aged to dust. Then, The Benefactor walked out of the portal and flexed his hands excitedly with a content sigh. "Killing Vilgax never gets old." He said as he turned and looked at a stunned Ben and Gwen. "Such memories…" The figure said calmly as Ben and Gwen glared at the man, unfazed. Max, however, went ashen. "It can't be!" Max said as he stared at the man before him in shock. "Eon?!" He turned to Ben and Gwen. "Get out of here. Now!" Ben glared at him. "This is bigger than just you, Grandpa." Ben said calmly as he glared at the man Grandpa Max called "Eon" without fear.

"Frank Tennyson! Where is he?!" Gwen looked at Eon calmly. "Why do you want my father?" She asked calmly. "Because…" He said as the mask withdrew into the suit to reveal a Ben 10,000. "He killed you, Gwen and must pay!" Ben glared at Eon. "Why?" He asked with a confused look. "I will explain my reasons to both of you only because I love Gwendolyn." Eon paused at her name and wiped a tear from his eye as the pain of that day. "We were going to get married. In the future, culture has changed a lot since aliens are no longer hidden from Earthlings. On my world, I am your cousin by blood. Even with the cultural changes, Uncle Frank wouldn't have his daughter marry someone she loved if it was family…" Gwen froze and put a hand around her neck and began to sob. "He…he wouldn't…" She said as she trembled. Ben held her close. "He wouldn't dare." Ben said calmly. Eon smiled at them. "I have to make sure the pain that I have suffered doesn't happen to you." He said calmly before he vanished in a furry of purple energy. "Grandpa…?" Gwen said worriedly as the old man nodded and hurried back to Gwen's house.

Once they got there, Eon had his hand around Frank's throat. "Why? Why did you kill her, Uncle Frank? Was I not good enough for your daughter?!" Frank's eyes went wide as he watched Ben and Gwen run into the house. "B-Benjamin?" Frank stammered. "The name is Eon. Benjamin died with Gwendolyn!" Ben growled as he through Frank into the wall. "Gwen died?!" Frank asked, confused. "YOU KILLED HER!" Eon yelled as he threw Frank into the other wall across the room. "I would never hurt my daughter!" Frank said, just as stunned as the others at the revelation as he coughed in mild pain. "Yes, I'm uncomfortable with the relationship, but I would never KILL my own daughter over this!" Frank said calmly. Eon glared at Frank and was about to puck the man when Gwen grabbed his arm. "Benjamin, please, don't do this." She pleaded with everything she had.

"Why?" He growled as he calmed down slightly. "Maybe she escaped to another timeline like how you came into ours." Gwen offered calmly. Eon looked at her calmly and slowly let go of Frank. "I've been so filled with anger and a thirst for vengeance that I haven't been able to think strait." Eon admitted. Ben laughed. This earned him strange looks from every one. "'Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.' Such is the Dark Side." Ben said as he partly quoted Yoda. Eon sighed. "You're right. I need to stop living in the past and hope for the future." Eon said with a small smile, an expression which had not graced his face in decades. Eon then opened a portal and stepped though it as hope spurred Benjamin on.

Frank and the rest of the people in the room looked at each other in shock. All, that is, except Ben and Gwen. They were alone and just looked at each other. Gwen was still reeling from what Eon had been reviled to them, and Ben was shocked at what not having Gwen could do to him. Eon made Ben 10K Jerkface look like a dream. "I will never let go of you, Ben." Gwen promised with a kind smile as she took his hand gently and squeezed it. Ben smiled at her and nodded. "We've seen what happens when we're kept apart." Ben said calmly with a smile. "I just hope your Dad now understands what we mean to each other." He told her before he quietly and slowly leaned up and kissed her gently. "Do you want to go meet the others?" Gwen asked Ben as he shook the vapors from his mind and looked at her. Gwen laughed at Ben. "What?" Ben asked as he looked at Gwen with a smile of his own. "You are, Doofus." Gwen said as she got up and walked over to where Max and the other adults were. Frank was a little tense when Ben didn't follow her. "Don't worry, Dad. Ben just has a lot on his mind." Ben was going nuts over one thing Eon told him: He and Gwen would be married one day! That thought made his head spin.

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	13. Truth and Unforeseen Consequences

Chapter Thirteen: Truth and Unforeseen Consequences

As Eon's portal closed, a knock at the door made Ben and Gwen's heads shoot up at the sound. Ben's hand hovered over the Omnitrix, ready for a fight. Max held up a hand though. "Easy, you two." Max said calmly as he walked to the door and looked out. He saw his daughter-in-law and son, but something was off about them. They seemed to be deliriously happy and slow. Max was really surprised when Carl smiled at him. The man never smiled around Max because he never told them the truth. It was then that Ben started sniffing. The sight threw Frank and Lilly off, but the rest of the group was unfazed by Ben's seemingly odd behavior. Sandra and Carl smelled like tea bags. Ben didn't like the smell because it smelled like tea bags but was different enough from that to bother Ben. The scent made Ben gag because it was so strong. _So, this is what they do when Ben is not around._ Gwen growled in her mind with a sigh as she shook her head at her aunt and uncle and scrunched her nose at the scent they gave off. Ben scratched at his nose and whimpered as the scent overwhelmed his mind. "Come on, Ben." Gwen said gently as she led him outside to fresh air.

Inside the house, everyone was shocked at the state of Sandra and Carl. Frank blinked and coughed as Max handed out micro-filters, and everyone put one on. "That's better." Lilly said calmly. "Why would you do this Carl?!" Frank growled as he got in his brother's face. Carl just slowly grinned at his brother with blood shot eyes and started laughing. "M-man, you gotta try this." Sandra said in a slurred speech as she swayed. Lilly just shook her head. "This is no way to raise a child." The woman said as she glared at her brother-in-law and his toasted wife. Sandra laughed. "How…would…would you know how to raise kids, Mrs. Perfect?" "I know not to use drugs." Lilly said calmly as she shook her head and glared at them, pissed. "This is who raised Ben? I'm surprised he's not a druggie, too." The adults heard a beeping. Max and Xylene recognized the sound of the Omnitrix and started to get up. All eyes in the room turned toward a sudden green flash

Ben sighed and shook his head. "I've never seen them like that!" He said to Gwen. "Honestly, I'm scared to go home with them." Ben said quietly as he looked at Gwen sadly, torn between what he grew up knowing as his parents and what they'd become. He looked at Gwen, and she smiled at him comfortingly. "The choice is yours, Ben," She told him calmly. "No matter what you choose, I'll be with you." He smiled at her. "I need to talk to Mom about this." He said as he went XLR8 and motioned for her to get on his back. Once Gwen had her arms firmly around Gwen's neck, they were off to Arizona. Just as the dust was beginning to settle, Max and Xylene ran outside of the house. "Damn, he's XLR8." Max said with a bit of frustration in his voice. _Now, because of Lilly's outburst, Ben is on the run._ Max thought as hekicked the dirt in irritation. The worried grandfather looked at Xylene. "I have a lock on the hatchlings. Don't worry. Ben wants to talk to his Mother. He'll be back." She said to him kindly.

Max sighed as he realized why Carl and Sandra were unable to conceive and pulled two white capsules from his pocket. "Time to sober up, kids." He said as he put a capsule under each of their tongues. Sandra and Carl jumped out of their skin and screamed before they both ran to the sink and started downing water strait from the tap. After the two potheads drank their fill, they looked around the room confused for a second. Then, they noticed all the glares aimed at them. "What's your problem? You try having an alien for a son!" Carl growled. Xylene sighed and shook her head. "If you didn't think you could handle the responsibility, why didn't you tell your father?" Sandra looked at the alien, STILL slightly feeling the effects of the THC even after Max's Plumber issue Purge Pills. She laughed halfheartedly. "He was so…cute. We couldn't say no." Max couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I thought I raised you better, Carl Luis Tennyson! I expected you to treat him like a child, not a stray pet!" Max glared at his son. "Get out!" Max said with a glare as he pointed at the door, pissed. Frank glared at his brother and gripped him by the arm roughly. "Get out of my house…brother." Frank growled as he threw Carl into the street. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have my daughter and her boyfriend to find." Frank said before he headed back into the house.

Back with Ben and Gwen, Ben was trying to calm down as XLR8 ran across state lines and deactivated the Omnitrix once he got to the Navaho Reservation. He saw a lot of the familiar objects from their last trip there and smiled to himself because, unlike last time, he actually knew what he was looking at when he looked at the different items around the village. Mr. Green saw them and smiled. "What brings you back?" He asked with a smile. Mr. Green then looked up as the light, rapid footfalls of running reached Ben's ears. The boy groaned silently. _Not again…_ He thought mournfully. Gwen saw Kia, but this time was not playing around like Gwen had when she first met Kia. She wasn't going to let the little bitch be able to hurt Ben this go around. "Hi, Ben," Kia said with a flirtatious attitude that utterly annoyed Gwen.

Gwen stepped between them and glared at the brat. "Don't talk to him, Kia. He's already in pain." Ben walked up to Gwen and nodded, letting her know that he could fight his own battles, this was one he had to fight alone. "We are here to talk to my mom, Kia, not you! So, get your self-diluted, prissy butt out of my way!" Kia was stunned at Ben's anger. Last they met, he was falling head over heels for her, but now… "Who is she?" Kia growled with bitterness in her voice. "'Who is she?' What do you mean?" Ben asked, playing dumb. "Who is your girlfriend?" Kia growled, "Ben, you are truly an idiot." Gwen could tolerate a lot of things, but Kia calling Ben "idiot" went too far. "That's it!" Gwen yelled as she marched up to Kia and mumbled a spell. As Gwen's glowing hand touched Kia, she said, "So you like anthropomorphic animals? Let us see how you like this." As Gwen spoke, her energy flowed over the girl and turned her into a Chihuahua. "Hope you like your new life, Kia." With that, Gwen and Ben continued up the mesa to his mother.

Meanwhile, back in Bellwood, everyone was getting in the Rustbucket, but Lilly and Frank were less than enthusiastic about taking what they saw as a piece of junk to find their daughter. "She's got a few surprises." Max said with a smile as he flipped a series of switches. Nothing seemed to happen from the inside for a few seconds until a wine started. Xylene smiled at Frank and Sandra as she saw they were not strapped in. "You two better buckle up." She told them calmly. They looked at the alien with a confused expression. When the large RV shot off like a top fuel dragster, Frank and Lilly were sucked into their seats by the force. They struggled to buckle up but finally did manage. "We're coming, Ben." Max said as he programmed the GPS to sync with the Omnitrix.

Ben and Gwen just made it to the top of the mesa as that was going on. Ben let her off his back. "Be careful, Gwen. This is unstable since the minor eruption when we first came here." He said as he gently led her down a safe path to Luna's cave. As they entered, Ben saw the purple eyes of his mother staring at him in the darkness. She slowly came into the light and smile at her son and Gwen. "Mom, we need to talk about a few things." Luna's ears perked up at that. "What's wrong, Ben." He sighed and looked at Gwen as if he was trying to gain strength from her. "I found out my adoptive parents are addicts." He said quietly as Luna looked away in an attempt to control her anger. "Max Tennyson…" She growled lowly. Ben quickly looked up at Luna. "It wasn't his fault! Grandpa didn't know!" Ben said as he looked at his mother, a little worried for Grandpa Max.

As if responding to Ben's thought, he heard the whine of The Rustbucket's jet engines in the distance. "Here they come." Gwen said with a smile. "I guess you can count on some family." Ben said with a smile as he saw them get out of the RV. They all floated up to the mesa with Xylene's help. Luna glared at the intruders and let out a warning growl. "Anyone that touches my pup besides his mate won't live to see the sun rise." She said with a deadly protective look in her eyes. "Luna, please, let us-" Luna cut him off. "Don't you try it, Magister Tennyson. I thought I could trust you to take care of my pup!" She began to cry. "It turns out I can't!" She growled. "You gave my son to strung out flea bags. I should kill you for that." Ben's eyes went wide when he heard that. "Mom, don't," Ben pleaded. "Grandpa had no idea what they would do. He thought they would take care of me. It's not his fault." Ben told Luna calmly, yet there was a hint of fear in Ben's eyes. Luna considered her pup's plea and smiled. "I won't, but who will raise you to adulthood?" She asked. Gwen's eyes lit up at the chance she had. Luna noticed and shook her head. "Gwen, I can't allow Ben to live with you. It would get too…complicated once he starts to physically mature." Frank and Lilly glared at their daughter. "You should know better, Gwen." Frank said as he tried to mask a grin as best he could behind a glare. Ben looked at the man who in many ways was already his father. "What do you say, Grandpa?' Ben's delight could not contain itself as the old man nodded. Ben grinned and let out an excited howl as everyone except Luna covered their ears in response. The she-wolf just laughed to herself at her son.

Meanwhile in the purple flowing Timestream, a female voice called out. "Benjamin! Benjamin." The voice became shaky with emotion. "You better answer me, Doofus!" The girl said, now clearly Gwendolyn. The Timestream rippled and sparked what appeared to be about a hundred yards away from her. "Ben?" She asked hopefully as she leaned forward with hope surging through her. A hand appeared in the rift. Then, it widened, and a leg appeared. Next, the rift grunted, and the rest of the figure came out. Gwendolyn's breath caught, and she sprinted over to the rift. "Benjamin!" She yelled as she hugged him tight with tears in her eyes. "Don't you ever leave me again! You hear me?!"

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 **P.S. The idea for this chapter was inspired by the hemp bracelets mentioned by Sandra in RAT.**


	14. Deception and Doubt

Chapter Fourteen: Deception and Doubt

Hex stood in the forest a few yards from his defeat weeks ago at the hands of the Tennyson Children. Your power WILL be mine, little sorceress. I just need a pawn…" He growled as he looked over at his niece. "Charmcaster…" He smiled as the young woman jumped down from a tree. "Cast a control spell on this boy and an infatuation spell on Gwen." He said calmly as he handed her a picture. Charmcaster nodded and looked down at the picture. "The boy is a technopath. Uncle, what is the point in controlling the boy?" Hex gave his niece a calm smile. "Patience, Charmcaster. You will see soon enough." She nodded and cast a spell of knowledge on the picture. "Cooper Daniels, where are you?" Charmcaster mumbled to herself before she used a transformation spell to turn her body into electricity and zapped herself into the underground power lines, on the hunt for her quarry.

Meanwhile, Ben and Gwen were resuming their Summer Vacation. "Where are we going to now, Grandpa?" Ben asked a little worried about having another battle. For once, he wanted a normal summer day. No bad guys or alien threats; just him, Gwen, Grandpa Max, and Xylene. Max looked back at the children. "What do you want to do?" Gwen almost shouted with happiness. "I want to go shopping!" Ben gulped. Sure, shopping was a normal summer activity, but it was not one of his favorites. Gwen noticed Ben's apprehensive look and said, "What is it, Ben?" Though she knew what the problem was, Gwen wanted Ben to be able to talk to her. He sighed. "I don't like shopping. It's just so…boring." He said as he looked away out of fear that he upset Gwen. She smiled at him. "That's what you said about the Smithsonian. I'll find a way to make it fun for you." Gwen said calmly.

As they pulled into a parking spot in front of a large mall, Gwen ecstatic and almost flew to the door. Xylene was nervous about going outside the RV until Max gently handed her a neutral looking mask. She looked at it skeptically. "Trust me, Xylene. It'll work." Max said with a kind smile as she put it on hesitantly. Xylene's reptilian form was replaced with the body of a human woman about Max's age. "I guess this will work." She said with a smile as she kissed Max. As soon as Ben walked out of the RV, the Omnitrix started acting weird, sparking and buzzing. From there, the Omnitrix's dial started moving on its own. Ben stared at the Omnitrix and saw someone in the shadows out of the corner of his eye. He looked up and glared at the figure that seemed to be a kid about Ben's age. Before he could run over and confront the boy, the Omnitrix malfunctioned and turned Ben into Greymatter.

In Ben's diminutive Galvan form, him mind instantly went to work trying to figure out how the Omnitrix was hacked. That would have to wait, however. Ben had more pressing matters. Gwen looked around. "Grandpa, where's Ben?" She asked as she continued to look for Ben. He hopped as fast as he could and landed on Gwen's shoulder accidentally. Gwen screamed and was about to swat Ben when he held up his hands. "Stop! It's me!" Ben yelled. Gwen stopped her hand before it connected with Greymatter's body. "That's not funny, Ben!" Her eyes went wide, and she looked at him in mild shock when she saw he wasn't laughing. "Someone hacked the Watch and locked it into a Galvan genetic sequence." He told her, a little worried, though he tried to hide it. _Let Gwen have fun. This can wait._ Ben thought to himself as he kept up with them but made sure to stay out of sight.

"You foolish girl!" Hex roared as he glared at his niece. "Uncle, I-" He glared and slapped Charmcaster. "I told you to find the boy and enchant both he and the granddaughter of the fraud!" Charmcaster looked at her uncle and started to shake. "I tried! The Daniels kid was easy, but she proved difficult!" Hex glared at his apprentice. "She must truly be in love with the Wolf. It seems I will have to find another method to drive them apart." Charmcaster had an idea as her uncle said that. "The infatuation spell on the technopath could be enough to drive the Wolf and the Charlatan apart, Uncle." She smiled at him. "Allow me to redeem myself, Uncle. Daniels will become such a thorn that the romance will break up and fall to pieces." Hex nodded calmly. "You may, but if you fail…" He left the threat hanging as Charmcaster locked onto the Charlatan's magic signature and disappeared.

Ben felt a sudden uneasiness and looked around but saw very little from his six inches of height. "The Omnitrix…" He mumbled to himself before he got an idea. _Omnitrix…_ Ben thought. _…write a program to filter out all possible signal interference._ The Omnitrix responded with two short, rapid beeps. Then, Ben was back to normal in a red flash. "That's better." He mumbled before he hurried to catch up with the others, his guard up because the uneasy feeling still hadn't left him. "Hey, Handsome. I'm glad to see you're back to normal." Gwen said with a smile. "Me too." Ben said with a smile, but he was still on edge. That was when some kid jumped out of a rack of clothes and made Gwen scream. Ben walked up between the kid and Gwen out of instinct. "What's your name, kid?" "C-Cooper…" The kid said nervously. Ben sighed and glared at him. Something about the kid reminded Ben of Kia's annoying personality. The effect was just milder. Cooper kept trying to look around Ben at Gwen, but Ben moved closer and blocked the boy's view of Gwen. "What has you so interested in my girlfriend?"

Once Cooper heard Ben say "my girlfriend", his eyes narrowed, and Cooper jumped on Ben. Ben used Cooper's momentum to flip the boy over his back into a rack of clothes. "Grandpa, get Gwen out of here. Now!" He nodded and hurried off as Xylene covered their escape. Cooper's eyes took on a look like circuitry, and he made an armored suit of technology. "Gwen will be mine!" Cooper growled as he threw a mechanized punch at Ben, but Ben's inhuman speed allowed him to catch the punch. Cooper looked at Ben surprised as Ben looked around with a grin on his face. "I'm not human, you freak!" Ben then squeezed the mechanical fist until it folded under the pressure. Ben was so focused on the right fist that he almost didn't remember the left fist. Notice, I said "almost". Ben's sharpened reflexes allowed him to be ready for that second try. Ben back flipped right as the fist impacted where he was a few seconds before. "Ha! You missed!" Ben growled as he grabbed the robot's arm and ripped it off. Copper screamed in anger and reorganized the suit into a rocket launcher. "Catch!" Cooper said as he shot a shell at Ben. Ben yelped and jumped out of the way just in time. As the shell exploded, the fire and sound roared through the building.

Gwen fought Max and Xylene all the way out of the mall. When the explosion rocked the building, Gwen screamed, "Ben!" His name gave Gwen new strength, and she got free of the adults. Gwen ran into the building and looked around worriedly. Ben glared at the rocket launcher and jumped at the weapon. Ben's claws and even his teeth dug into the weapon. With a grunt, Ben threw all his strength into a back flip and tore the launcher out of Cooper's hands. As Ben landed, he felt the weapon crumple under the force with which it hit the ground and the pressure put on it by Ben's body. This made Ben smile. "Looks like you're out of toys, Cooper." Be said calmly until Cooper looked up and said, "You are so beautiful, Gwen." Ben looked back with Cooper's gases as terror filled Ben's eyes. "You are not getting her!" Ben said as he knocked Cooper out with a blow to the back of his head. "Nighty, night." Ben said calmly before he looked back at Gwen and ran to her.

Gwen and Ben embraced happily as she looked at Cooper with fear in her eyes when she saw he wasn't moving. "Ben…" She said fearfully. "Gwen, I just knocked him out. I didn't kill him." Ben said to Gwen comfortingly. She nodded as she looked up at Ben with tears in her eyes. Ben gently wiped the tears from her eyes. "That was weird." Ben said calmly. "He seemed after you, not concerned about you." Gwen nodded. "Infatuation…" Gwen said with a shiver at the thought. Cooper groaned. "What…happened?" Cooper asked slowly as he sat up and shook his head. Gwen shivered as Max and Xylene came in. Max looked at his granddaughter with a mild glare. Ben was over the boy in a split second. "I don't remember anything. I swear. All I remember is just a girl with white hair." Max sighed. "Charmcaster…" Max growled. "Gwen looked at her grandfather. "Who is that?" Gwen asked. Xylene gave Ben and Max a weird look because she knew the girl had met Charmcaster before. When Ben and Max glared at Xylene, she realized Gwen had been trying to block out Hex and Charmcaster because Hex almost killed Gwen "Hex's niece…" Max reminded her as Gwen shivered involuntarily at the name. "We will get him, Gwen. Don't worry." Ben said as he kissed Gwen gently to calm her down. "We will get him." Ben repeated as a scowl at Hex toying with Gwen formed on the boy's face.

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	15. Worries and Warpaths

Chapter Fifteen: Worries and Warpaths

 _Good pooch…_ Ben shivered at those words as he looked up at the ceiling, unable to sleep for almost a week straight since his and Gwen's encounter with that technopath. He knew Hex was still out there, and every day that they didn't find Hex, Ben felt was a failure to protect Gwen. _That slimy bastard has to be somewhere!_ Ben growled in his mind as he punched his bed in anger, and the bed creaked in response. Ben sighed and got up with nothing else to do. He looked around and quietly snuck out of the top of the RV. Then, Ben jumped down, landed on all fours, sniffed the air, and stood. Since his first encounter with Hex and Charmcaster, Ben had learned that a magical aura gives a person a unique smell that was like a fingerprint for his nose. Gwen smelled like chocolate, Charmcaster smelled like overripe eggs, and Hex smelled like a sun baked corpse. Ben smiled as he caught the pungent but faint scent of rotting flesh. _I've got you now, you piece of shit!_ Ben thought as he started running toward the smell.

Gwen was jarred awake as she heard a soft thud outside and the crunch of leaves as someone started running off into the night. Gwen got a bad feeling in her stomach as she swung her legs over the side of her bunk, and stretched. As she got up and turned back to her bunk, she saw something that made her heart stop for a second. The covers on Ben's bunk were pulled back, and Ben was missing. "Grandpa!" Gwen called out worriedly as she ran and shook Max awake. Max woke up instantly and looked around. "Ben's missing!" Gwen yelled at Max. The yelling roused Xylene who was too tired to even register why she woke up before she drifted back into sleep. The old man looked on the dash. "He's not going to get far." Max said calmly as he saw a blip moving northwest away from them. "Why would he run?" Gwen asked herself as she got dressed and looked around. Max met her at the door of the RV in his Plumber Suit, and together they hurried after Ben.

Ben was really letting his instincts do most of the driving which allowed his mind to be free to think of a plan as the scent got stronger. He stopped at a clearing and listened. The sound of shouting rushed to Ben's ears. His eyes went wide as the sound cleared in his mind enough for Ben to recognize Hex was chanting. He watched as Hex placed a stone Ben did not recognize in the center of the circle. Hex's chanting became louder and louder until he was shouting the incantation. On the ground, the stone glowed brighter and brighter with the volume of Hex's voice until the stone almost shone like a small sun in the darkness of night. Finally, five focused lines of yellow light shot from the stone in five point star configuration. Ben just stared as the light stirred dust around each point of the star. Once the dust settled, Ben stared at the complete set of Charms of Bezel. _I've got to act fast._ Ben though to himself as he glared at Hex. Hex looked up and nodded at Charmcaster before he looked in Ben's direction. _Crap!_ Ben thought as she smiled at him.

Charmcaster nodded and threw her stone creatures at Ben. Almost as soon as the creatures grew to their appropriate size, Ben turned them back into rubble. Charmcaster glared at Ben and said, "Escuchan, Arbors! Carpe Lobo!" At these words, the trees around Ben creaked and groaned. Their branches became bark-covered hands that went down surprisingly fast and grabbed Ben. He struggled against the tree's grip and glared at Charmcaster. "Why do you work for him? He treats you like crap." Charmcaster blinked, caught off guard by the question. The lapse in concentration bought Ben enough time to wriggle his way out of the tree's grip. He then jumped on Charmcaster and glared at her. "You stood by and let your uncle almost drain the life from a girl!" Charmcaster flinched at Ben's rage. "He-" Ben cut her off. "He does nothing for you. He's using you. Can't you see-" Ben was silenced as fire slammed into him and knocked him off of the teen sorceress.

Gwen and Max were hot on Ben's trail as they ran through the forest. She wanted to call out his name, but Max had told her he may not want to be found. When Gwen gave her grandfather an odd look, he explained. "Sometimes back in my Plumber days, I would go on missions no one else would know about so I could have as little collateral damage as possible. I think that is what Ben is doing here." He said calmly. She glared at him. "Well, when I find Ben, I'm going to kill him." Gwen instantly regretted those words when Max said, "You may not have to kill him." Gwen steeled herself and continued on in search of Ben.

Ben rolled to his feet and glared at Hex. "Today, you die." Ben said darkly before he ran at Hex. With the charms around Hex's neck, the sorcerer was able to jump in the air and tackle Ben. As the boy slammed into a tree under the momentum of Hex's attack, he felt dizzy momentarily but shook the feeling away quickly and gave Hex a clawed uppercut to the jaw. Hex retaliated with an iron punch to Ben's gut that knocked the breath out of Ben. As Ben slumped to the ground, he relaxed and allowed his lungs to properly fill with air. Strengthened by regaining his breath, Ben pressed on with the attack. He slashed and clawed at the man in a fury, but Hex's face had the trace of a smile on it. The expression confused Ben until Hex yelled, "Pyros voro!" As the words left the sorcerer's mouth, he was covered in a coat of fire. Ben yelped in pain as his punch connected with the wall and quickly drew it away in fear. Ben shook his head at his own fear and smiled as he became Heatblast and sucked away the fire wall. "Open to hackers," Ben quipped before he seared Hex's face. The man stumbled back and glared at Ben through agony. "You will pay for that, you insufferable beast!" Hex growled before he began to suck away Heatblast's fire through the Perkiness Charm. Ben stared Hex down, timed out the Omnitrix, and went for Hex's throat in one fluid motion.

"Ben!" Gwen called as she and Max walked up on the fight, distracting Ben as he looked up at the sound of Gwen's voice. "'Come into my parlor,' said the spider to the fly." Hex said ominously. It then clicked in Ben's head as Hex threw him into a tree. As Ben demolished the tree on impact, he lost consciousness. Gwen stared in horror at what she had done. Then, her horror turned to anger. Her hands became coated in ice as she mentally recited a Cryokenisis spell and sprayed Hex with a sheet of ice. A stray piece of ice slid down Ben's back into his pants. Ben jumped awake and looked around, expecting to see Gwen hiding somewhere. Then, his memory returned, and Ben launched himself at Hex. The sorcerer was knocked to the ground as Ben's claws dug into the wizard and made him scream in pain. "How does that feel?!" Ben growled out as he glared into Hex's soul. The old man smiled and started to recite the same spell that killed Gwen. "Not this time," Ben told Hex as he gave the sorcerer a tracheotomy on his voice box. "Try speaking now!" Ben growled at the now mute Hex. Hex tried to let out a scream of fear, but all that came out was a strained whisper.

Ben stomped Hex between the legs for good measure before he looked up and smiled at Gwen. He took a few steps toward her but felt himself being held back. Ben looked back to see Charmcaster had a hand out the glowed with bright pink energy. Charmcaster then walked up to Ben and attempted to kiss him. He looked at the teen, wide-eyed. "I helped you out of a jam. You don't need to kiss me for it." Ben said with a shiver at the thought. He blinked and realized her eyes were glowing. _Shit! Love Spell!_ Ben thought as he started laughing and singing softly to himself an old song that he happened to like by Aaron Tippin called "Kiss This". He didn't normally hit girls, but this was a special case. Psychotic sorceress counted as an exclusion to the rule in Ben's mind. As Charmcaster leaned in with her enchanted lips, Ben pulled his fist back and let Charmcaster kiss his knuckles. Her head went sideways and teeth like pears off of a broken necklace flew out of the girl's face. This action stunned Charmcaster. The girl looked at some of her teeth scattered on the ground in shock. She then spit blood and looked back at Ben as he glared at her. "Try it again, and you're going to lose more teeth." Ben said coldly as he glared at Charmcaster. Broken from her concentration, Charmcaster's invisible wall disappeared and let Ben get to Gwen. As Ben and Gwen embraced, Charmcaster started to cry. "I just want to be loved." She said with a heartbroken tone. In that one statement, Gwen realized that Charmcaster was nothing more than a sheltered, abused, and immature girl. Gwen smiled. "You can't hypnotize someone into loving you." She said with a light glare. "'A person that has friends must be friendly.'" Ben said calmly.

Hex got up and very roughly grabbed Charmcaster's arm as she screamed in pain. "Uncle, please," Charmcaster pleaded with tears in her eyes. ""You're hurting me!" Hex just growled angrily in response and threw the teen down. Afraid of what could happen next, Gwen ran up and grabbed the Charms from around Hex's neck. As the Charms of Bazel draped on Gwen's shoulder, the shahs and charms shrank and fused to Gwen's shirt. Ben then got in Hex's face. Drop her. Now!" Hex started to shake and slowly complied with Ben's demand. "Abusing your niece…" Ben mused. "I should gut you got that alone." Ben frowned even deeper. "You tried to kill Gwen….twice." Ben growled before he crushed Hex's windpipe. Charmcaster didn't know whether to cry or laugh. She was finally free of her Uncle! Ben and Gwen smiled at Charmcaster. Gwen's quickly soured. "Try to kiss Ben again, and it won't be pretty." She said, eerily calm.

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	16. A Normal Day in the Tennyson Family

Chapter Sixteen: A Normal Day in the Tennyson Family

After Hex's latest attack, Ben and Gwen were ready for a day to just relax and enjoy the day together. Max knew this, so he looked back at them as they looked up at him sleepily and asked, "What do you want to do today?" Gwen and Ben both looked at each other and had a wordless conversation. Ben nodded in agreement to whatever had been decided and looked back to Max. "We want to go on a hike." Gwen said with a smile. Max was a little confused by this but agreed. "We'll stop at the next hiking trail and go for the day. How does that sound?" Ben smiled. "Sounds like a plan Grandpa." He said with a confidant smile. "Nothing can happen to us away from the city." Gwen said with an optimistic tone, but Ben could hear just a hint of doubt in Gwen's voice. Xylene smiled. "That will be good for me, too," She told them. "One of your outings in which I don't have to hide." Xylene said as she kissed Max gently. When the kids stuck out their tongues in disgust, Xylene gave them an odd look. "What?" She asked. "You do it, too." Gwen sighed. "It's different for us than watching you two." Gwen told her calmly. Xylene just nodded. Human double standards always confused her.

The next day, Max found a trail in Yosemite that he thought would be fun for the children to cut their teeth on. "Alright, do we have everything?' Max asked as they were getting ready to leave the Rustbucket. Ben nodded and rattled off a list of supplies which Gwen steadily checked off. "Everything's here." Gwen confirmed as she put a check by the last item. "Let's move out." Max said with a smile. As they walked into the woods, small clouds in the sky overhead began to swirl and gather into an ever larger mass. Ben looked up and stared at the clouds for a moment. Then, he walked up to the others and asked, "Is it supposed to rain today?" Ben continued to look at the sky as Max turned to the boy and shook his head. "Why do you ask?" Ben shrugged. "I was just curious." He said calmly as he hoped with all he had the strange clouds were nothing. Ben kept a wary eye on the clouds as the group continued their relaxing hike.

Gwen was going nuts over the different flora and fauna of the park. Ben couldn't help but laugh at Gwen. She would go over to an animal and log it in a journal of some sort. She would then draw a picture of the animal and show Ben. To him, they all generally looked the same, but Gwen assured him each one was unique. He had to admit he found it interesting how such minute details could distinguish one animal from another. It was not like him to enjoy these kinds of things, but Gwen was quickly changing Ben's mind about the excitement that could be had on a hike. Midway through the hike, they came to Old Faithful. Ben sighed and looked around, bored with the sight. _A big stink hole? Fascinating!_ Ben thought as he shook his head and looked back at the sky, worriedly. "I don't like this." Ben mumbled as he started to pace around the area with a sigh as thunder rolled overhead. Ben's ears twitched in response to the sound."What is it, Ben?" Gwen asked with a worried look. "Just a feeling…" He said as he looked around slowly with his ears pinned back and a snarl on his lips.

"Something's wrong." Ben said calmly. "I don't know what it is, but this storm isn't natural. Something is causing it." Ben said as he looked at them. "Are you coming?" Ben asked as he looked at them with a smile. The others looked at each other as Gwen smiled. "I guess this is a normal day for us." She said with a shrug as they followed Ben. Closer and closer they came. The woods became different at first, but further in, the trees and animals disappeared complexly, replaced with streets and a thriving city. "Where are we?" Gwen asked as she looked around and tried to piece things together like always. As she looked around, Gwen recognized some things, and Ben did, too. The children knew it was Bellwood, but at the same time, this city was not their home. "Anyone else feel like Rip van Winkle?" Ben asked calmly as he looked around and took a few tentative steps into the city.

Gwen smiled at Ben's literary reference, but that smile faded as she saw someone she hoped never to see again. "K-Kevin?!" Gwen stammered in fear. Ben walked to where Gwen's gaze was locked and felt a deep, deadly growl rumble in his throat. "Gwen, get behind me." Ben said as he gently pushed her behind him. Ben's glare was aimed so squarely on Kevin that the boy almost didn't notice a brown-haired, green-eyed teen in a green jacket with a white strip down the left side with a "10" over his heart, a black t-shirt underneath, and blue jeans on Kevin's left and a read head with green eyes on his right. "Evil duplicates…" Gwen growled. "…this just completes the day. Next thing to happen is I'll start dating Mr. Psycho!" Gwen yelled as her hands glowed intensely bright blue. Ben tacked his duplicate, and his duplicate flailed around like a fish under Ben's claws until per chance the duplicate struck his Omnitrix and turned into this weird…plant thing. "SWAMPFIRE!" It yelled. Ben just sighed and nodded at Gwen. "Tempestus Frio!" Gwen yelled as a blizzard froze the Ben Duplicate on a cellular level and destroyed it with microscopic ice crystals.

The others looked at their fallen comrade in horror. Then, the Gwen duplicate glared at the real Gwen. "You just killed your cousin!" The Gwen Duplicate said with tears in her eyes. Ben glared at them and tackled Kevin. On the ground before he knew what hit him, Kevin faced a wrath from Ben no one had ever seen before. As the boy bit down on Kevin's neck and tightened his grip until bright red blood began to drip from Kevin's neck down Ben's chin, the Gwen duplicate began crying and pleading for Ben to stop. Gwen walked over and sucker punched her duplicate. As the teen fell to the ground, Kevin began to drain her

Ben looked up when heard a teen groan in pain. Faster than Kevin could raise a punch to knock Ben off him, Ben had his teeth back in Kevin's jugular. "Stop…" The Ben duplicate groaned. "…he's our friend." At hearing Kevin called "friend", Ben clamped his jaw shut and snapped Kevin's neck like a twig. Ben then jumped on the person who claimed to be him, picked the teen up and forced him to look at the deathly pale state of the Gwen duplicate. "Tell me. Is that what friends do to friends?! HE TRIED TO DRAIN HER DRY…YOU…YOU DUMBASS!" The Ben duplicate began to sob as he looked at the Gwen duplicate. "I…I'm so sorry, Gwendolyn." Ben whimpered when he heard that. "This can't be the future! It can't be!" He said so broken-hearted. Not many thought about marriage at Ben's age, but the boy would often find himself in a dream where he stood at the altar and waited patiently for his red-headed bride to walk down the aisle.

Gwen was in a semi-catatonic state once she saw how Gwendolyn reacted to Ben when he killed Kevin, but she shook that off and walked up to Ben with a kind smile when she saw how this alternate timeline was killing Ben. "There is no fate but what we make." She said to him gently as he gave her a small smile. Unknown to Ben, often when Gwen couldn't sleep after the brush with Eon, she would lay awake at night and overhear him making vows to her in his sleep, so she knew what broke his heart most about this alternate version of them. It wasn't that this Gwen was dating Kevin. Although that made Ben want to die, it was not the worst part of this horrible alternate future. No, the worst of it was he would somehow lose sight of how wonderful Gwen was and practically sell her to their worst enemy. "I don't want to lose you, Gwen." Ben said as he looked up at her. "You're a Doofus, but you are My Doofus." She said as she kissed him with a smile. "Nothing could make me forget that." She said to Ben with gentle smile as she broke the kiss and looked into his eyes.

"If you two are done…" Ben looked up toward the voice to see Vulcanus staring at him and Gwen. Ben just shook his head, cracked his knuckles, and started to rip apart Vulcanus' suit. "We were in the middle of something here, you gluttonous, avaricious piece of crap!" Ben then raked his claws across the Detrovite's face. "Now, will you kindly let us get back to our regularly scheduled program?" Ben growled as he picked up Vulcanus' head and punted it between two skyscrapers that looked like uprights on a football field end zone goal post. "The extra point is up…" Ben said as he paused for effect. "…and it's good!" He said with a grin as Benjamin and Gwendolyn looked at Ben like he was nuts while Gwen just laughed at Ben.

Benjamin looked at his younger self in mild shock. "How did you take him out so easily?" Ben just shook his head as Gwen walked up and slapped Benjamin. "There's this thing called a 'release lever' on his neck that waves at you like a preppy school girl on caffeine." Ben said as calmly as he could to his older yet dumber self. "You need to find someone who will challenge you." Ben said as he shook his head in disgust. "Let's get them back to their time before I completely lose it." Ben said to Gwen with a growl. Gwen nodded, spoke the time travel spell that Gwendolyn had used to get them to Ben 10K Jerkface and started to sway as the effort of trying to transport an entire city through time started to drain her. Ben gently gripped her hand and felt her start to draw strength from him. With the extra energy she was able to get from Ben, Gwen was able to widen the portal and push the city through back to its appropriate and, in both Ben and Gwen's minds, barbaric timeline that the alternate Bellwood came from.

Max smiled as the kids passed out almost as soon as the portal closed. He picked Ben up in one arm with Gwen in the other and carried them back to the Rustbucket. Max then gently laid Ben and Gwen in their bunks. As Max walked away he smiled as he heard Ben softly humming "Here Comes the Bride" in his sleep. That tune got Max thinking about him and Xylene. The woman smiled at him from the passenger seat of the Rustbucket. "What are you thinking about, Max?" She asked in her soft voice that he had come to enjoy so much. Max's smile widened. "Oh," He waved his hand dismissively. "I'm just thinking about the future." He told Xylene as his hand gently took hers.

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	17. A Change in the Lineup

Chapter Seventeen: A Change in the Lineup

As the horrible version of Bellwood faded in the time portal, a single person flew into the temporal scar, lost among the much larger city itself. As Bellwood settled back into its proper place, the lone figure that was a cross time immigrant landed on the asphalt next to a much older version of Kevin than the one Charmcaster had been told about. He looked to be her age, was very handsome, and was bleeding out quickly from the wounds Benjamin gave him. Charmcaster closed her eyes and chanted a healing spell. As Kevin's wounds healed and color returned to his face, Gwendolyn began to wake up. She looked at her boyfriend being healed by Charmcaster and pounced. Charmcaster just sighed, mumbled an energy siphoning spell, and drained Gwendolyn until she was a grey husk. With all the massive amount of power at her disposal, Charmcaster grabbed Benjamin in a telekinesis spell and put his unconscious body next to Kevin's.

Green energy started to flow from the Omnitrix into Kevin's hand. As Kevin reabsorbed the energy, his body began to mutate. Charmcaster shook her head and placed a hand on Kevin's forehead gently as he started to scream. Charmcaster gently kissed him. Slowly, Kevin's body stopped thrashing and returned to its human form. When Kevin did, his eyes opened, and he smiled. "Gwen?" Kevin asked groggily. Then, he got a flood of images of what transpired while he was unconscious and smiled darkly. He laughed. "Finally, I'm free to be myself!" He said with a dark laugh as Charmcaster smiled. She had done it. She had stabilized Kevin's powers. She then looked over when she heard Benjamin grown. _The perfect test subject._ Charmcaster thought as Benjamin sat up.

Benjamin's eyes weren't drawn to Charmcaster at first. The first thing he saw was the grey husk that used to be his cousin. Julie was just a distraction to keep him from the girl he thought he would never have. Benjamin finally let that thought take over his mind, knelt by Gwendolyn, and put his hand on her withered one. Her hand felt like paper mache in his, but at that moment, he didn't care. He just wanted his Gwendolyn back. Purple energy outlined Gwendolyn's body, and Benjamin suddenly felt tired. Adrenaline pushed him on though, and when Gwendolyn groaned, it was the greatest sound Benjamin could have ever heard. He hugged his cousin as tightly as he could. "Glad to have you back…Dweeb." Gwendolyn grinned at Ben and would have kissed him had a dark laugh not spoiled the moment. "How sweet!" Kevin said with mock snappiness in his voice.

Benjamin smiled and turned toward the voice. "Glad to see you finally quit acting." Benjamin said calmly. "I found a better supplier." He said to them without an ounce of remorse. Gwendolyn glared at him with tears in her eyes. "That's right. You were nothing but a connection." He growled with a sneer. Gwendolyn blinked away her tears and tackled Charmcaster. Kevin smiled and took on the form of a mutated Vaxasaurian. Ben looked at him stunned for a second. Then, he went into action. "It's time to finish this." Benjamin growled as he went Way Big and started to pummel the repowered Kevin. Kevin glared at Benjamin. He then jumped up and tried to punch Benjamin, but Way Big was just too massive. To Benjamin it felt like little more than a gnat was biting him. Benjamin made Kevin eat dirt. When Charmcaster was outmatched by Gwendolyn, she took a tactical retreat back to her home dimension with Kevin in tow. She would need him if she hoped to defeat her version of Ben and Gwen.

Back in the Rustbucket, Ben was not happy. "Only a week before school starts up again." He grumbled. He liked school, but the lessons were so boring he would throw the odd paper airplane or act up just to make the class bearable. Otherwise, he would have to listen to the teacher spout off facts while he took notes. That was the least effective teaching method, yet it seemed to be the most popular. Then, there was the fact that he would be separated from Gwern for most of the day and worry about her. Sure, Ben knew Gwen could take care of herself, but there was always the chance that she would get into a fight she couldn't win alone. If he was stuck at school when one of their enemies kidnapped Gwen, Ben knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he let that happen.

Gwen wasn't that happy either for almost the same reasons as Ben. The only difference was she was in the process of fixing that as they rode. She had already hacked the Human Resources Department at her Dad's job and gotten him transferred to Bellwood with housing and moving picked up by the company Frank worked for. It would come in the form of five hundred dollar reimbursement checks every month. She smiled as she put in the last of the orders into their computer system and quickly shut down her laptop. _It will_ _be_ _a_ _nice surprise for Ben._ She thought with a smile as she put her laptop in its bag and walked over to Ben. "What's bothering you, Doofus?" Gwen asked with a small frown as she sat by him. The boy brushed his hair nervously. "Gwen, please promise me you'll be careful after.." The words hung in his throat like boulders, but Ben forced them out. "…school starts up again." She nodded and smiled at him.

The week went by painfully slowly for Ben and Gwen, but the last day of Summer Vacation did come. Ben was sullen on the way to his house which Grandpa Max had cleaned and purged completely of drug residue through his connections he made while he was a Plumber. It hurt Max to kick Carl and Sandra out of their house, but he hoped by doing so he would force them to wake up. Max also knew he would have to stop his patrols, so Ben wouldn't have to pack up and move away from what he knew. Ben knew his dream had to end, but he fiercely opposed it. The last thing he wanted to do was go back to normal after all the totally awesome butt kicking he and Gwen had done. Normal also meant he had to hide his true self once more and be careful how he acted around Gwen in public because, as far as the rest of the world was concerned, he and Gwen were still cousins. It hurt Ben perhaps more that he wouldn't be able to show the affection toward Gwen he felt she deserved than the pain of the separation he knew was coming.

Gwen was a different person as they rode to Ben's house. She knew what would happen with her Dad, and she didn't want to ruin the surprise for Ben. Because of this, Gwen was quiet but didn't really seem that down. Ben had to stop a smile from forming on his lips as he listened to her rattle on about her plans for school. That confused Ben. He thought for sure there would be a few tears shed as he walked out of the RV, but all Gwen did was smile at him and hug him gently. That confused Ben until he looked around and realized they were in a neighborhood and didn't know who was watching. He smiled and gave her a slight nod. "See you later. I guess." He said as he trudged inside, unable to hide the fact that his heart was breaking. As the door closed behind Ben, Gwen felt a twinge of gilt in her heart at not letting Ben in on the surprise. _Did I do the right thing?_ Gwen questioned in her mind.

Ben couldn't believe the state in which his room was in. Then again, this had been a very long summer and quite a bit had changed. Ben laughed as he thought of he and Gwen. If anyone would have told Ben that he and Gwen would have been this close after a single cross-country road trip with Max, he would have laughed at them. Now, though, he couldn't see life without her. Ben's stomach rumbled as he thought of the events of the summer, and he started thinking of food. Ben smiled and walked to the kitchen. Once there, he started fixing himself a pot of spaghetti and red sauce. Ben chuckled as he tended to the various ingredients. That was another thing he learned: how to cook. Max's monster chief creations had quickly seen to that. He smiled at the few times Grandpa Max had left Ben and Gwen to their own devices when Ben asked him to do so as a surprise Gwen with dinner for the two of them. After he ate and washed dishes, Ben turned in for the night, mentally exhausted.

The next day, as Ben walked off the bus for the first day of school, he didn't hear anything other than his alien alter egos from the other classmates. That annoyed him. He faced down galactic threats and didn't get as much as a "thank you". Ben froze completely for a second or two at that thought. _You WILL NOT think like HIM!_ Ben growled at himself. Everything was relatively ok until lunch. Cash and JT were up to their old tricks. As Ben was walking to his seat, Cash through a smoothie at Ben. He threw his tray into the air, caught the smoothie bomb, thought about throwing it back at the jerks, tossed the smoothie in the trash, and rebalanced his tray. JT and Cash were understandably freaked by this, but didn't have time to think about it before the wall to Ben's left collapsed.

Ben glared into the dust cloud until it cleared. "Charmcaster…" Ben growled lowly. Charmcaster mumbled a spell and one of the rails that separated the chow line from the rest of the room wrapped around Ben before he could do anything and attached itself to the wall. "Where's Gwen?!" Ben growled as he snapped the bars like twigs. JT and Cash gulped and hid when they saw the boy execute the feat of superhuman strength. Ben marched up to Charmcaster. "I won't ask again. Where-" A dark laugh cut him off. "She's right here, Benji!" Kevin said calmly with a psychotic smirk as he walked into view with Gwen's limp body in his clutches. "How many times do I have to kill you, Kevin?" Ben growled as he let his Loboan form came out and tackled Kevin. Kevin let go of Gwen as he went to the ground. Ben's eyes followed Gwen, and he leaped as fast as he could and caught her. Once Ben was sure Gwen was ok, they both turned on their enemies. It was almost over before it began. Ben and Gwen worked like a well-oiled machine, and brought them down quickly.

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	18. Change and Challenges

Chapter Eighteen: Changes and Challenges

Ben's shoulders moved up and down in rhythm with his breath immediately after the slaughter between Ben, Gwen, Kevin, and Charmcaster. His eyes went from the deep violet that was the color Loboan eyes normally were and slowly faded back to green. Ben's left hand balled into a fist. "I can't believe I let her get away!" Ben growled as he looked around the battered cafeteria in anger. Gwen gave him a kind smile. "Bad guys play dirty. You know that. Kevin and Charmcaster took advantage of the weakness we have in the fact that we care deeply for each other." She said as she made Ben look at her, so he wouldn't be in the downcast position she hated. "Kevin knocked you out after they saw they couldn't beat us together." Ben sighed with a small smile, touched that she would drop everything to ensure his safety. "This was only the first round, Ben. We lost, but there is always tomorrow." She told Ben comfortingly.

JT and Cash shivered like babies, hulled up under a cafeteria table that got pushed to the far wall during the fight. "Tennyson?!" Ben turned his head toward his long-time tormentors. "What do you assholes want?" Ben asked as he cracked his knuckles and walked toward them. To his credit, Cash stood his ground, but JT bolted. "What are you going to do…mutt?" Ben let out a whimper and his ears flattened in sadness. Hey, give the kid a break; he's only ten. Self-imagine is important at that age. Gwen was boiling at the punk. "What did you call him?" She growled as she got in Cash's face. "Say. That. Again." She said with a calm and deadly tone. Gwen was tempted to take a metal bar and slam it into Cash's head, but she held herself back. "You watch your back. That's strike one, Murray." Gwen said as she stuck a finger in his face. "A threat from a girl? Oh…I'm so scared!" He said with a mocking tone as he held his hands up and feigned fright. JT shivered. "You might want to listen, bro. She just saved us." Cash made a very poor choice at that moment. "I'm not going to take orders from some…girl! She could save the whole freaking universe. It still wouldn't matter." He wasn't aware as he threw a punch Gwen's way.

Ben wanted the punch to connect so badly, so he could rip the bully's arm off. Ben knew Cash has instantly walked into a losing fight, though. He'd seen Gwen in action enough times to know she could easily handle the hothead. Gwen caught the punch and effortless Judo flipped the boy as he groaned in pain. "Strike two," Gwen warned as she held up two fingers to help the point along that she meant business. Cash didn't know when to call it quits and charged her. Gwen's eyes shown with anger. "Strike three," she growled as she mumbled, "Genus novis immedia!" Her extended hand glowed blue and touched his head. At first, nothing happened. Then, there was a blinding flash and in Cash's place stood a girl who looked like him but had long hair down to her shoulders. Ben stared in shock. "Did you just…?" As Gwen nodded, she said, "Cash will be a girl for the next twenty four hours."

Ben shivered at what Gwen had done. After being around Ben so long, she could read Ben as easily as a book. "Do you honestly think I would do that to you?" She asked as she turned to him. Ben sighed and shook his head, sheepishly. Ben sighed. He'd wanted to ask Gwen for a while, even before they became a couple, to teach him to fight. "Gwen," Ben scratched the back of his head nervously. "Can you teach me to fight?" He was surprised and a little disappointed when she said, "I can't teach. I don't have the skill level to do that." She noticed his look and quickly amended her statement. "They are signing up new students for my after school Karate class if you want to check it out." Gwen offered with a smile. Ben nodded and sighed happily as he and Gwen started walking to the building where Gwen's Karate class was. "You should pick it up quickly, Ben." Gwen said as they walked into the dojo. Ben felt a slight shiver crawl up his spine as he remembered the fight with the robot sumo army that almost ended him and Gwen when they got trapped in the video game. Ben's hands STILL shook when he picked up a controller.

Gwen noticed Ben's faraway look and gently shook him. "Ben, you ok?" She asked as she looked at him worriedly. Ben shook his head. "Sorry, Gwen." Ben said quietly as he looked away from her. "This just reminds me of Kenko's lair." She rubbed his shoulder gently. "I'm right here, Ben." She said gently as they walked up and registered together. The Sensei smiled at Gwen. "Nice to see you, Miss Tennyson." Gwen gave him an odd look. "Oh, forgive me. I'm Sensei Jason." He said with a smile. "My brother Tommy runs the one you transferred from. He told me about your skill. I look forward to seeing what you can do." She beamed. "Thank you, Sensei. This is my boyfriend, Ben." Jason smiled. "I look forward to teaching you, young man. Class will start tomorrow at four." Ben smiled. "Aye, Sensei." Ben said with a bow as Gwen looked at him, confused. "I pay more attention than you think." Ben said with a smile. Jason smiled at the boy. "See you tomorrow, Ben." He nodded and walked out.

Ben smiled as they walked away from the sensei. "You want to go to my place?" Ben asked Gwen with a smile. She shook her head. "Sorry, Ben. I've got to go through the syllabus for class." She said with a sigh as she let the Handbook for the school fall out of her backpack and suppressed a smile as Ben picked up the book and looked at it in shock. "Gwen," He said as he handed her the book. "I think you picked up my school's handbook by mistake." Gwen took it from him and put it back in her book bag. Ben tapped his chin in thought. "The teacher said you transferred from another dojo. Did you…?" He asked as his eyes brightened. "You got your Dad a transfer." Ben said with a chuckle. "I'm starting to regret helping you embrace being smart, Doofus." She said to him playfully. Ben smiled. "Well, I like being smart. I just hope Cash and JT have enough sense to leave us alone from now on." Ben said calmly. "After Cash's experience, he should know better." Ben said with a chuckle.

Gwen's tone suddenly turned serious. "Speaking of not giving up easily, I wonder what Charmcaster and Kevin are doing right now." Ben looked at her and shrugged. "They are probably nursing wounds and planning another attack." Ben said calmly. Gwen nodded. "Did they seem different to you?" She asked as they walked into Ben's house and sat on the couch. Max walked in and smiled at the children. "How was your first day at school?" Ben groaned. "It was long," Ben said calmly. "Gwen and I were attacked by Kevin and Charmcaster." Max was surprised. "I thought you killed Kevin" He said calmly. Gwen sighed. "Charmcaster found an older version of Kevin from a reality where I-" Gwen shivered, still unable to believe in any reality she would date Kevin. "Just when I thought things couldn't get any stranger." Max said as he shook his head with a sigh. Xylene walked up to Max and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Everything will be ok, Max. You'll see." She said to him with a smile. "I hope you're right, Xylene." Max whispered as the children started running through basic combat scenarios.

Meanwhile, in Charmcaster's personal pocket dimension, she and Kevin were training. Well, Charmcaster was trying to train while Kevin yelled at her about everything she was doing wrong. Finally, Charmcaster got fed up with him and slammed him into the dirt. "No one orders me around, Kevin. I saved your sorry ass." Kevin smiled and kissed her without a hint of malice or retribution in the action. This shocked Charmcaster who thought Kevin hated her. "I love it when you're angry." He said to her in a tone that was the same as "You look good in that dress today." Kevin just smiled at her and, with his mind able to think clearly since she cured him, could see them conquering the world together. The thing that made Kevin smile when he envisioned the world on fire under their rule was not Ben and Gwen's bodies draped on either side of the White House door like flags or the fact that everyone who ever sighted him would be slaves with him as their master. No, though those things brought a psychotic grin of satisfaction to his face, they didn't make him smile. Charmcaster sitting in the Oval Office was the fantasy that made Kevin Levin truly smile.

The next day, Ben and Gwen had a relatively uneventful day at school, minus the odd looks JT got for hanging out with an unknown girl. Rumors had instantly started that Cash was on vacation and that his sister was in tone. The wackiest theory was that Cash's sister and JT were dating. Gwen couldn't help but giggle at that. She had a feeling Cash knew about the theories, because she stayed away from JT as much as possible. Ben had to get in on it and ribbed Cash about the "romance" every time he could. It felt great to get at Cash for a change instead of the other way around. As the day was about to end, Cash returned to his born body, and that led to a little confusion around the school until Gwen cast an illusion spell on the school to make everything clearer. She made it so that Cash's "sister" was there to get his work because Cash was out sick for the day.

After school, Ben attended his first Karate class and received his gi with his white belt. After his first class when challenges could be called, Ben challenged Gwen who was about four levels higher than the beginner, but Ben was confident. He smiled, bowed, and taunted her with a Neo-style intro. Then, she ran at him. Ben calmly deflected her attempted hits with surprising ease. "Come on! Stop trying to hit me, and hit me!" Ben said calmly with a sigh as he kept blocking her strikes. Then, Ben went on the offensive. He struck with seemingly practiced power that stunned Gwen. Her surprise showed in the shocked look on her face. "First, I can't land a hit. Now, I can barely dodge. Ben," She said with a pleased smile. "You've been holding out on me." Ben smiled, but honestly, he couldn't tell where his seemingly innate ability to fight came from. Ben's own surprise must have shown on his face as he put Gwen on the mat. As Ben helped her up, Gwen smiled and whispered, "Loboans are warriors. You told me that. What if you can master a fighting style just by watching someone else?" She asked him as the class, even Sensei Jason, was stunned by the show of skill the supposed beginner presented to the class. Ben smiled, "Not bad for my first day, don't you think, Gwen?" He asked as he smiled at her.

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	19. Nightmare of Mezosoic Proportions

Chapter Nineteen: Nightmare of Mesozoic Proportions

After the Karate Class, Ben and Gwen went to their homes and started on the work for the week. Ben knew it was just the second day of school, but he also knew that good grades would translate to more time with Gwen, so for each class, he set up a schedule of work time each day. Ben knew he would catch Hell at school from JT and Cash for his "newfound" teacher's pet attitude, but that outlook had its perks: good grades, a decent salaried job, and in the long run more free time with Gwen. Ben had just finished on his work when his ears twitched in response to a scream. In the scream, Ben heard Gwen yell his name. Ben dropped everything and sprinted to Gwen's house. In the dark of the night, Ben's eyes were alert and what he found in their house made Ben shake in anger. The house was a wreck. Furniture was turned over and torn apart. The curtains were shredded, and Ben was almost certain dragons had attacked her house because of the footprints they left. Gwen was shaking like a leaf, and she was white with fear.

"What happened, Gwen?" Ben asked her as he tried to soothe the terrified sorceress in training. "Animo…t-took my parents with a pack of Velociraptors." Ben sighed, shook his head, and smiled, "Can't you track them?" He asked her with a perplexed look. "I have tried!" She said to Ben with angry tears in her eyes. "The signature of the prehistoric animals is interfering with my tracking spell. It's like a GPS that loses signal because of a roof or something blocking the signal from a satellite, just that satellite sends and receives four dimensional signals, instead of the usual three dimensional one." Ben looked at her confused for a second, and then, it clicked. "You cannot locate them because the spell says they are out of sync with time?" Ben asked as Gwen nodded with a small smile. "We need to get Grandpa," Ben said calmly. "He'll be able to filter out the temporal tremors created by the beasts." Gwen giggled at Ben. "What is it?" Ben asked her calmly. "Velociraptors stick out like a sore thumb, Ben. Just follow the screams." Gwen said to him as she became calm enough to start thinking clearly again. He smiled at her, went XLR8. Gwen shook her head at him. "This isn't about speed, Doofus." Gwen admonished as she shook her head at Ben's choice of hero. "Be patient, Gwen," Ben said calmly before he shot off toward the screams.

Once with the pack of Velociraptors, Ben took it slow and tried to inch his way through the gathering. Gwen then saw the wisdom in Ben's choice and smiled to herself."Gwen," Ben whispered. "Can you track the pack back to their origin point?"Gwen gave Ben a slight smile and nodded before she recited a strange spell. Her hands glowed blue before a wave of energy shot from them a few seconds later a bright, sonar-like ping became visible in Gwen's vision. As she pointed to the disturbance, the pack became aware of the uninvited guests and sounded the alarm. Gwen flashed Ben a worried look. His visor went down, and he shot off toward the quantum breach. Once they arrived there, Animo started laughing as one of his pets held Frank and Lilly in its jaw. "Animo, let them go safely on the pavement. This is just between us!" Ben said with a glare that was aimed squarely at the madman. Ben and Gwen both knew the stakes were high in this current situation, but Ben was hopeful Animo wasn't too foolish to try and fight his way out.

As usual, the bad guy was stupider than Ben gave him credit. "Ha! You think I will let you take them? You have not learned much about me, Ben Tennyson." Ben smiled calmly. "I know plenty, Freakimo." Ben said. "You only care for yourself, and when you thought only of what you thought you should have gotten but didn't get it, the event sent you into a delusion in which you rule the world and all are lesser than the mighty Animo. Nero was sane compared to you." Ben said calmly. Humiliated by being put in his place, Animo glared death at Ben and threw Frank and Lilly to his pets. As the animals screeched in delight at the meal that was coming to them, Frank and Lilly screamed. As the animals snapped their jaws, they expected flesh but only got air. As they hissed in annoyance at this development, Animo looked over and saw the blur as Ben caught Gwen's parents and took them away from the scene to safety. As Ben set Frank and Lilly down, they looked up at him with shock. "Why did you save us after we were so mean to you?" Ben let it slip before he knew what he was saying. "I can't let my future in-laws get eaten. Gwen would never forgive me." He chuckled lightly to himself before he shot back to Gwen and Animo. Frank and Lilly shared mildly stunned expressions as they watched Ben return to their daughter's side and looked at each other. _Did Ben just call us…?_ Lilly thought to herself, unaware that the faintest trace of a smile was on her face.

Ben glared at Animo and smiled at Gwen. They had a silent conversation over a split second, and Gwen created a magic tornado. It sucked all the dinosaurs into its impressive maw. Gwen then bent the funnel toward the rift and had the twister spit them back into it. "Back home where you belong." Gwen said with a smile that faded once the last of the creatures was back in the Cretaceous. Her attention was drawn to an odd setting on Animo's device. He grinned evilly. "You have been a thorn in my side for too long but no longer!" He twisted the dial to that odd setting and the energy that arced between the electrodes on Animo's headpiece turn yellow from their usual red. "You are a talented hero, Ben, but I don't think heroes survive out of their element." Gwen's eyes went wide, and she quickly created a force field. "It will be a grand experiment!" Animo said as he fired his weapon, and the energy impacted the shield. Animo smiled as the energy wrapped around Ben and Gwen. When the dissipated, the ground was scorched and smoking when Ben and Gwen were, but there was no sign of the children. Fearing the worst, Lilly began to sob into her husband's shirt as Frank patted his wife's back in a failed attempt to comfort his wife.

Ben groaned as he blinked, his eyes slow to focus as a foul smell greeted his nose. Ben sat bolt upright as the thought of Gwen screamed through his mind. He looked around frantically. Nothing looked familiar. Strange trees grew sparingly around him and strange creatures called in the air. They were not birds. Ben instantly knew that much. He stood and noted he was back to his human form. _That blast must have knocked me out._ Ben thought with a groan as he rubbed the back of his head in an attempt to make his head stop throbbing in pain. He looked over and relief washed over Ben as he saw Gwen a few feet away and that she appeared to be unscathed. She sat up slowly and looked around. "*grown* What happened?" She asked as she looked at Ben sighed. "Animo shot us with some sort of ray. I don't know what it was supposed to do, though." Ben said as he continued to observe the surroundings with a hint of fear. "This doesn't feel right." Ben said as he crouched and got ready for a fight. The ground started to shake and Ben looked up to see a heard of massive Saurapods coming toward them. "Ben, move!" Gwen yelled. "Get on my back!" Ben said urgently. Gwen didn't argue. She just nodded, and Ben ran into a nearby cave. "We should be safe in here." Ben said as he tried to catch his breath. Gwen smiled and gently took his hand to comfort herself. "I wish there was a way to get back home." Ben said quietly as he looked into Gwen's eyes for strength. Gwen pulled out her spell book and looked at possibilities.

"I think there's one way back, but it will be painful." Gwen warned as she looked at Ben with a hint of worry in her eyes. He smiled and kissed her gently. "We will get back together or not at all." He said with a calming smile that Gwen drank in greedily. She nodded. "Alright. Let's do it." She said to him as her worry faded slightly. Gwen was about to say the spell when a cracking sound reached their ears. "Uh, Ben, we're not in a nest. Are we?" Gwen asked as she looked at her feet nervously and saw eggs breaking open at her feet. Before Ben or Gwen could know what creatures came out of the eggs, they ran away screaming. "I don't want to know what was in those eggs." Gwen said with as shiver as she gave Ben a shaky smile. When Ben and Gwen were sure they were out of danger, Gwen smiled and calmly spoke the spell. The air swirled around them and lightning arced across the turbulent sky. Ben gripped Gwen's hand tightly as her pulse became thread and weak. Ben growled and allowed her to take some of his energy to complete the spell. _I'm not going to lose you again, Gwen Tennyson!_ At Ben's angry declaration, the portal home became less shaky and grew wide enough to let them pass through as it. This told Ben the portal was stabilized and safe to cross.

On the other side of the portal when Ben and Gwen exited it back to their own time, time seemed to stop for a moment or two. Then, time resumed a second or two after Animo threw them back in time. "We're back, Animo." Ben growled lowly. He was about to rip into Animo, but Gwen noticed her Mom crying and her Dad trying to console his wife. The sight of her Mom crying flipped a switch in Gwen. She glared so hard at Animo that the man lost all color in his face and started to back away slowly. "Animo…you can mess with me all day long, but the moment you mess with my family, all bets are off!" Gwen growled as her eyes glowed bright blue with fury and power. "Temora dispersa, Animo!" Gwen growled as a portal opened and sucked Animo into it. "Have fun running from Dinosaurs, Animo!" Gwen said calmly.

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	20. Dreams Do Come True

Chapter Twenty: Dreams Do Come True

After Animo's attack, there was a long lull in activity and things seemed to quiet down. Ben and Gwen kept a wary eye out for Charmcaster and Kevin. Most of Ben's Rouge Gallery was aware of what happened to Animo and kept their distance. It was clear to all of them that the boy Ben Tennyson would not pull any punches if they hit his buttons right, namely Gwen Tennyson. One such enemy smiled in an abandoned circus tent as he looked at himself and chuckled. "It's time for a little payback, Ben Tennyson." He said to his reflection in the mirror with an evil laugh as he poured a golden liquid into a spray bottle and disappeared into the night.

Things were going well for Ben and Gwen at school. Ben rarely got picked on anymore, and when Cash and JT got the guts to pick on him, it was always short-lived and would usually end with JT and Cash being put in their place with a few defensive moves. Gwen was pleased with how Ben handled the jerks. He didn't react out of anger. He only defended himself. Of course, schoolyard bullies were nothing compared to galactic warlords, so this was a relative walk in the park for Ben. In fact, Ben was beginning to wonder if JT and Cash were just stupid to keep picking on him. Ben didn't mind. Giving those two a sound thrashing periodically kept Ben's defense skills sharp. It made Ben laugh though because a pattern soon emerged. They would only attack if Gwen wasn't around, so every time Cash and JT came around for what Ben had begun to refer to jokingly as "sparing matches", Ben would needle Cash about the bully being afraid that Gwen would turn him into a girl again. This would always piss Cash off and give Ben victory. Of course, Ben knew Gwen would permanently swap Cash's gender if he ever pissed her off again.

In one of these "sparing matches" on the playground, Cash made the mistake of insulting Gwen. Gwen heard him and walked over with a scowl on her face. Ben just shook his head sadly. "Cash…tell me. Why did you call Gwen a bitch?" Ben asked Cash as he folded his arms and glared at the bully. "You know? I haven't kicked your butts too bad because it's good training for me." Ben cracked his knuckles as his frown deepened. JT took the cue and bolted. Cash wasn't so easily scared and stood his ground. That brought a smile to Ben's face as he walked up to Cash and got in his face. By this time, a large crowd had gathered to watch the beat down. Ben was about to release the first punch when Gwen quickly and gently gripped his fist. "They aren't worth it, Ben." She told him as she looked into his angry green eyes and tried to calm him down. "Look at me. Tune everything out but me." She said in a soothing voice as she put a hand on his cheek. Ben blinked and looked around as he came to himself. "What happened?" He asked with a confused look. Out of the corner of his eye, Ben saw a feminine figure watching him. Ben looked at Gwenn in surprise. "Your Mom talked to me about something. I think you should go talk to her." Gwen said to him with a kind smile. _What could be so important Mom would risk being seen?_ Ben thought to himself confused as he walked over to the fence.

She smiled at her son. "Glad Gwen caught you." She said with a gentle smile. "Why?" Ben asked as the confusion only grew on his face. "What was that technique that Gwen used? I don't feel angry at all anymore." Luna smiled. "You're growing up. Certain things come with that." She started calmly. "What did you feel when that boy called Gwen what he did?" Ben shivered. It scared him what that situation made Ben think about. Luna nodded, and her tone turned serious. "You wanted to kill him. Did you not?" Ben nodded shamefully. "I did. He insulted her, Mom! What am I supposed to do?! He needed to be taught a lesson!" Luna shook her head. "No, he didn't, at least not the lesson you were planning to teach him." Luna said with a glare. "Testosterone is playing with your mind." Ben's eyes went wide. Luna just nodded with a kind expression. "Just promise me you will be careful with your temper." She said to him. "I'll try, Mom." He said as he walked away and noticed everything looked frozen. Gwen smiled and walked up to him before she snapped her fingers. Time resumed as the sound echoed. "I used a spell to freeze time so Luna could have all the time she needed without rushing because of recess." She explained as they walked back into the school.

Someone sprayed a yellow substance in Ben's face. He coughed and fell to the ground, unconscious. Gwen screamed in fear and knelt by Ben, but her eyes caught someone trying to slip away from it. Gwen tackled the guy but shivered when she saw who it was. "Zombozo?!" The fear the girl fell from her first meeting with the devil spawn of Pennywise and the Joker melted into rage. "What did you spray in Ben's face?!" She growled as she mumbled a spell to give her the strength of the 300 Spartans and picked the clown up. "I'll only ask one more time! What. Did. You, Spray?!" He chuckled. "Something that would make the Scarecrow jealous." Gwen's eyes went wide. "God DAMN IT! If he dies, your head WILL roll!" She growled as she took Ben in her arms and sprinted to the nearest hospital, school completely forgotten.

Once at the hospital, Gwen screamed. "I need oxytocin and a sedative drip. STAT!" A doctor ran over to her. "What's the problem, miss?" Gwen stared at the doctor. "My boyfriend was hit with a fear-inducing hallucinogen." She said with trembling lips. The doctor nodded. "We'll get on it right away." The doctor said as they wheeled him away. Gwen then calmed down enough to call her Mom, Dad, and Grandpa Max. "Ben was attacked! I'm at the hospital. Don't worry. I'm safe. Just get here." She said to them in a conference call as she began to cry. Max ran to Gwen. "Zombozo…" It was all she got out before she passed out herself. "Delayed reaction to the gas." Max growled as he picked her up and carried her to the RV. "I have a universal antitoxin in the Rustbucket." He said as he took down two vials and handed one to the doctor. "Give Ben this. It will counteract the toxin." He said as he stuck Gwen with the same antidote. Her eyes fluttered and she screamed, "Ben!" Lilly and Frank knelt by their daughter. Gwen then started to bawl uncontrollably. "Ben, please be ok. Please be ok!" She yelled. At that same time, Ben woke from his state with a scream. "Gwen, why did you betray me and for that homicidal bastard?" Ben growled. He then looked around in mild confusion. "Where am I?" A nurse walked up to Ben. "You're safe, Ben, in the hospital." The nurse said gently. Ben then smiled as Gwen walked in with her Mom and Dad. Ben was sweaty and wide-eyed but otherwise, unhurt. Gwen then ran up and tackled him with a happy smile. "Glad to see you're ok, Doofus." She said as she kissed him gently, not caring who saw.

That was the happiest moment in Ben's life, but it was about to be dethroned for this day. Ben smiled, his built twenty-five year old body made the tux he was wearing mildly uncomfortable, but he was determined not to complain. This one actually fit him well, not like that old piece of junk he wore at that fateful wedding when everything changed. He was a bundle of nerves as Max and Frank fussed over his tux and got him ready to meet his bride. _This is so awesome, but I'm so nervous!_ Ben thought as he tried to stay calm. He sighed as he looked at the Omnitrix, his hand shot to it as adrenaline coursed through his body. "Easy, Ben." Max said with a kind smile. "You're not going into battle." Ben sighed. "As Obi-Wan said, 'From a certain point of view', Grandpa." Max chuckled. "Ben, don't worry. Everything is going to be fine." _I wish I could believe that._ Ben thought as he remembered Kevin and Charmcaster. Somehow, those two had managed to evade capture since Ben and Gwen were kids. Gwen and Ben thought the same thing even though they were miles away: _Now, would be the perfect time to strike._ They were both reasonably on edge two hours later when the ceremony began. Gwen looked absolutely stunning in white, but her fiery hair stood out against the veil and train of the dress. Ben couldn't help but smile as he watched Frank walk her down the aisle and return to Ben's side as a groomsman. It took a lot for the man to trust Ben, but with the action of leaving Gwen at the altar, Ben was certain he'd gained the man's trust and respect. That alone meant more to Ben than he could ever hope to express. As the Justice of the Peace said, "Speak now or forever hold your peace." The walls crumpled. "I have something to say." All eyes went to the hole. "I have something to say." Kevin growled as he threw the grey, lifeless body of Charmcaster to the side.

"Perfect…" Ben mumbled as he went for the Omnitrix. "Hello Benji! I can't believe you didn't send your old pal Kevin an invitation. Gwen was fuming. "We put up energy barriers, magic blocking spells…the works! You STILL manage to get in uninvited!" Ben paled. Gwen had been planning this for months, and Ben loved Gwen with all his heart. That aside, Gwen was a force to be reckoned with, and her wedding day would put that on steroids. For a brief second, Ben considered hiding as Gwen's eyes glowed with growing intensity and power. Kevin just smirked and charged her. Ben intercepted as instinct took over. Ben controlled his rage and tackled Kevin. "Leave this family ALONE!" Ben growled as he ripped off Kevin's arms and started beating him with them. Gwen glared at Kevin, raised her hand as it glowed with power, and sucked Kevin into a black hole after she mentally recited the spell to do so. Once the black hole was sealed, the bride and groom smiled at each other and recited vows as their eyes gleamed in unmatched joy. Finally, Ben happily lifted the veil like he had been aching to do for fifteen years and kissed his bride as everyone cheered.

 **There it is: The Final Chapter. Please Read and Review**


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